Mentaly ill making up the bulk of the growth in prison population
Australia’s prison population has grown by 45% in the past 10 years, and a new report has raised concerns that this increase has largely come from inmates who suffer from some form of mental illness. The report published by the Medical Journal of Australia has suggested that prisons have become the new mental health institutions of Australia. The report comes as one state government has been criticized for keeping mentally ill prisoners locked up indefinitely. In NSW, those who have been accused of crimes but have been found innocent on the grounds of mental illness, can been imprisoned if they are deemed a threat to society. The Mental Health Review Tribunal can recommend their release once their symptoms are brought under control however, these reviews have to be signed off by the NSW health Minister John Hatzistergos. And so far he has proved reluctant to do so in a number of situations. The CEO of the Public interest Advocacy Centre, Robin Banks, says the current system needs urgent reform.