82316 (2024). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Corrections

82316 (2024). Dr Tracey McLellan to the Minister of Corrections: What percentage of young people and young adults in Corrections custody, if any, received comprehensive mental health assessments upon entry in the last 12 months?

Hon Mark Mitchell: I am advised that when a person enters prison, they undergo induction processes by custodial staff and health services. This includes a reception health screen, undertaken by health staff, which assesses a person’s physical and mental health needs, including whether they may be at risk of self-harm or suicide and whether they require a referral to a prison doctor or other services to address immediate general and/or mental health care needs. If a person is assessed as having a mental health need, they can be referred to a mental health service such as the Improving Mental Health Service (IMHS), Intervention and Support Practice Team (ISPT) or Forensic Mental Health Services (FMHS). They can also be referred for support via the ACC Sensitive Claims Services. People in Corrections’ custody can be referred for mental health support at any time throughout their time in prison. I am advised that due to the recent development of a new mental health data reporting system, at this time, Corrections cannot readily provide information about the percentage of young people and young adults in Corrections’ custody who have received comprehensive mental health assessments upon entry into prison in the last 12 months. To provide this information would amount to substantial collation and manual analysis, which I am not prepared to ask for the purposes of this response. I am further advised that Corrections can confirm that during the period between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024, Corrections’ records indicate that 194 comprehensive mental health assessment activities were completed by clinicians working as part of the IMHS or an Intervention and Support Practice Team (ISPT) with people in prison who were aged between 18 and 24. These figures do not include mental health assessments that were completed by FMHS or ACC who do not enter information into the same mental health data reporting system. Additionally, during the period between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024, Corrections’ records indicate 667 other face-to-face mental health assessment activities were completed by clinicians working as part of IMHS and ISPT for people in prison who were aged between 18 and 24. This figure predominantly includes brief mental health screens and acute/crisis assessments. Due to a fluctuating prison population, I am advised that it is not possible to provide an accurate percentage of young people and young adults in Corrections’ custody that have received comprehensive mental health assessment activities or have received face-to-face mental health assessments.