Community Profile
The Adult Criminal Justice System
At the end of June 2007, Justice Health was providing a range of health services to a daily average of approximately 9,600 full-time adult inmates. This represents an annual increase of around 5.5% per annum over the last five years.
The window of opportunity for Justice Health to provide healthcare to individuals is usually brief, as only 10% of all receptions receive a sentence over six months. In addition, inmates rarely spend their entire sentence within the same correctional centre, with many movements annually between correctional centres
and court complexes.
Inmates generally have a poor health status characterised by general neglect, substance abuse and mental illness. Justice Health fulfils a valuable role in improving the health status of this group while also minimising the health consequences of incarceration on individuals, their families and the general community.
INMATE FACTS (source: 2001 Inmate Health Survey) |
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• Most inmates are male, as females make up only 6% of the population. • 19% of male inmates and 32% of female inmates are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, compared with 2% of the general community in NSW. • 50% of males and 30% of females warrant mental health referral for major depression. • 40% of males and 64% of females are hepatitis C positive. • 50% of males and 75% of females were unemployed in the six months prior to incarceration. • 50% have not achieved School Certificate level of education. • The average age of inmates is 33 years for males and 31 years for females. |
Juvenile Justice System
The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) manages young offenders by means of supervision within the community or within Juvenile Justice Centres under remand or control (sentenced) orders. The Department of Corrective Services manages young offenders at the Juvenile Correctional Centre, Kariong. Under the Children’s (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987 and associated legislation, young offenders are defined as aged between 10 and 18. Depending on the security and risk level of a detainee, offenders can be transferred into the adult correctional system when they turn 18 years of age, though in special circumstances older offenders may remain in the care of DJJ until 21 years of age. Emphasis is given to diversion of young offenders from custody where appropriate.
The Justice Health Adolescent Court and Community Team assesses young people with the most complex psychiatric, behavioural and psychological problems who have had contact with the criminal justice system and reside within the community. Court liaison and diversion services are provided to the Children's Courts, as well as discharge planning for Juvenile Justice Centres and the Juvenile Correctional Centre.
Post release, the Juvenile Justice Centre Release Treatment Scheme (JJCRTS) offers a continuum of care to recently released adolescents. The project involves providing a holistic approach to the post release health care of participants and their families. The pilot JJCRTS received an award in the Primary Health and Continuity of Care category at the 2007 NSW Health Awards.
| KEY FACTS ABOUT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE (source: Young People in Custody Health Survey 2003, Young People on Community Orders Health Survey 2006, DJJ Annual Report 2005-2006) | |
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Category |
Percent |
| Identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in detention | 47.5 |
| In custody report being physically abused | 42 |
| In custody report being sexually abused | 10 |
| Report seriously considering suicide | 20 |
| In custody who have parents with a history of imprisonment | 43 |
| In the community who have parents with a historyof imprisonment | 27 |
| Have used cannabis | 88 |
| Have used amphetamines | 47 |
| Report a severe range substance abuse disorder | 26 |
| Have a sexual transmitted disease | 15 |
| Have been suspended from school | 89 |