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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-10-18 Daily Xml
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CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In reply to the Hon. K.L. VINCENT (5 May 2011).

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling): The Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse has responded to questions one, two and three. The Minister for Disability has responded to question four. They have been advised:

1. The number of people during the calendar years of 2008, 2009 and 2010 who were detained in correctional facilities and who have been found guilty or deemed unfit to stand trial by reason of mental incompetence were:

Year 2008-17

Year 2009-12

Year 2010-34.

2. On 5 May 2011 there were nine forensic mental health consumers held in correctional facilities.

3. A person has been detained in a correctional facility since 20 April 2009. There is ongoing planning coordinated by the Exceptional Needs Unit, Department for Families and Communities, to facilitate the transfer of this person from prison to a more suitably resourced setting.

4. People with a disability in the criminal justice system often have multiple issues—including psychiatric disability, intellectual disability, acquired brain injury and chronic substance abuse–which do not fall within the responsibility of a single agency. Delivering the right services for people with a disability who have forensic issues requires agencies to work together.

The Minister for Disability is advised that at any given time there are approximately five patients in James Nash House with non-psychiatric mental impairment, arising from intellectual disability or brain injury rather than mental illness.

Disability Services are able to support people with daily living issues resulting from their disability.

A number of departments have also worked together to develop strategies to improve the current service response to people with a disability who are involved in the criminal justice system.

A memorandum of administrative arrangement between the Department for Families and Communities (DFC) and the Department for Correctional Services (DCS) was implemented in July 2010, to improve the day to day management and standard of life experienced amongst offenders with a disability.

Interagency practice guidelines between DFC and SA Health were introduced in February 2011. These guidelines support the delivery of coordinated interagency services to people with mental impairment on supervision orders (licence) in the community.

A project jointly sponsored by DFC, SA Health, DCS and the Social Inclusion Unit was established in May 2011 to look into and prepare options to address the specific needs of people with a disability who are involved with the criminal justice system.

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