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Parliamentary Questions


Question Without Notice No. 994 asked in the Legislative Council on 22 September 2020 by Hon Peter Collier

Parliament: 40 Session: 1

PRISONERS — MENTAL HEALTH

994. Hon PETER COLLIER to the minister representing the Minister for Corrective Services:

I refer to Human Rights Watch's report '''He's Never Coming Back' People with Disabilities Dying in Western Australia's Prisons'', which states that 60 per cent of adults who died in the state's prisons had a disability, including mental health issues.

(1) Over the past four months, how many prisoners have attempted to self-harm or commit suicide in Western Australian prisons?

(2) Over the past four months, how many prisoners have been treated for mental health conditions?

(3) Have there been any deaths in custody over the past three months, and what mental health processes have been put in place to address the system's inadequacies?

Hon SUE ELLERY replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question. On behalf of the Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Corrective Services, I advise the following. I note that this is a long answer, so I will endeavour to take that up with the minister as well.

(1) The following instances of self-harm and attempted suicide have been reported—only adults—five attempted suicides and 170 instances of self-harm.

(2) Patients diagnosed with primary mental health issues within corrective services are addressed by general practitioners—for example, for assessment and medication. Major mental illness is a serious mental illness requiring secondary intervention—for example, referral to a consultant psychiatrist and ongoing treatment by a specialised mental health clinical team. Prisoners suffering from an MMI are assessed under the psychiatric priorities rating scale. A P rating is allocated according to acuity and treatment needs, from P1, being the most serious, to P3, being a stable condition needing continuing treatment. In the previous four months the following number of prisoners with an MMI were treated by corrective services. In May 2020, 716 prisoners; in June 2020, 813 prisoners; in July 2020, 783 prisoners; and in August 2020, 819 prisoners were listed against a P rating. Figures for each month or subsequent months may capture the same patient on more than one occasion because their acuity may change.

The psychological health services provide a service to all other prisoners presenting with mental health issues requiring support by individual counselling and group interventions. These prisoners may or may not have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Corrective services does not record definitive numbers of the variance of acuity of mental health issues requiring primary and/or secondary interventions in an easily accessible way. To calculate this figure would be an onerous process and take significant human resources.

(3) In the last three years, the following developments have occurred within corrective services in order to improve our service delivery to those with mental illness in prisons. They include the establishment of a dedicated mental health, alcohol and other drugs branch, bringing together mental health, alcohol and other drugs nursing, consultant psychiatrists, psychological health services and prison support services, including Aboriginal visitors, under one structure to provide greater governance and drive service development. A mental health review was conducted in 2019 with 15 recommendations. These recommendations are being progressed and finalised in consultation with key stakeholders, including Aboriginal prisoners. In 2018, an alcohol and other drugs rehabilitation prison was opened in the women's estate. A male alcohol and other drug rehabilitation program will open in October 2020 at Casuarina Prison. An additional 50 FTE has been dedicated to mental health, alcohol and other drug services over the last three years. A suicide prevention task force has recently been established to specifically address serious self-harm and suicide. The task force will review all ongoing operational practices within external members. Four workstreams have been identified: inputs, jurisdictional scanning and research; governance; an intervention team; and through care.