The number of people with mental illness in Australian prisons is growing. Almost half of prison entrants (49 per cent) in 2015 reported being told at some point by a health professional that they have a mental disorder, an 11 per cent increase since 2012. People with cognitive impairments are also over-represented in Australian prisons. These issues have received attention in numerous Australian reports and reviews in the past three decades. They will undoubtedly be the focus of the impending Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, established by the Andrews government in February 2019 and the possible federal Royal Commission into the abuse of people with a disability. The over-representation of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is not attributable to any one single issue. Finding solutions will require a multifaceted approach at different stages of the criminal justice system.
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First published on May 6, 2019 at Alternative Law Journal
