First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release
Background: It is well established that First Nations Peoples in Australia are overrepresented within the criminal justice system. However, First Nations Peoples appear to be comparatively underrepresented in the forensic mental health system, and little is known about their outcomes once released f...
Published in: | Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00048674231151594 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00048674231151594 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/00048674231151594 |
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crsagepubl:10.1177/00048674231151594 2024-06-16T07:39:56+00:00 First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release Dean, Kimberlie Lyons, Georgia Johnson, Anina McEntyre, Elizabeth Mental Health Commission of New South Wales National Health and Medical Research Council 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00048674231151594 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00048674231151594 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/00048674231151594 en eng SAGE Publications https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry volume 57, issue 6, page 904-913 ISSN 0004-8674 1440-1614 journal-article 2023 crsagepubl https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674231151594 2024-05-19T13:09:51Z Background: It is well established that First Nations Peoples in Australia are overrepresented within the criminal justice system. However, First Nations Peoples appear to be comparatively underrepresented in the forensic mental health system, and little is known about their outcomes once released from secure care. Objective: To compare the characteristics and rates of repeat criminal justice contact for a criminal charge of First Nations and non-First Nations forensic patients in New South Wales. Methods: Data on the sample were extracted from the New South Wales Mental Health Review Tribunal paper and electronic files matched to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research Reoffending Database. Characteristics of First Nations and non-First Nations patients were compared using univariate logistic regression analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine predictors of post-release criminal charges. Results: Key differences in the sociodemographic, clinical and forensic characteristics of First Nations compared with non-First Nations forensic patients were identified. The time to first criminal justice contact following release was significantly shorter for First Nations forensic patients ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: The findings of this study confirm that First Nations forensic patients have distinct and complex needs that are apparent at entry to the forensic mental health system and that their poorer criminal justice contact rates following release from secure care indicate that these needs are not being adequately met either during treatment or once in the community. Responses to these study findings must consider the complex and continuing impact of colonisation on First Nations Peoples, as well as the need for solutions to be culturally safe. Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations SAGE Publications Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 57 6 904 913 |
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Background: It is well established that First Nations Peoples in Australia are overrepresented within the criminal justice system. However, First Nations Peoples appear to be comparatively underrepresented in the forensic mental health system, and little is known about their outcomes once released from secure care. Objective: To compare the characteristics and rates of repeat criminal justice contact for a criminal charge of First Nations and non-First Nations forensic patients in New South Wales. Methods: Data on the sample were extracted from the New South Wales Mental Health Review Tribunal paper and electronic files matched to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research Reoffending Database. Characteristics of First Nations and non-First Nations patients were compared using univariate logistic regression analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine predictors of post-release criminal charges. Results: Key differences in the sociodemographic, clinical and forensic characteristics of First Nations compared with non-First Nations forensic patients were identified. The time to first criminal justice contact following release was significantly shorter for First Nations forensic patients ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: The findings of this study confirm that First Nations forensic patients have distinct and complex needs that are apparent at entry to the forensic mental health system and that their poorer criminal justice contact rates following release from secure care indicate that these needs are not being adequately met either during treatment or once in the community. Responses to these study findings must consider the complex and continuing impact of colonisation on First Nations Peoples, as well as the need for solutions to be culturally safe. |
author2 |
Mental Health Commission of New South Wales National Health and Medical Research Council |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Dean, Kimberlie Lyons, Georgia Johnson, Anina McEntyre, Elizabeth |
spellingShingle |
Dean, Kimberlie Lyons, Georgia Johnson, Anina McEntyre, Elizabeth First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
author_facet |
Dean, Kimberlie Lyons, Georgia Johnson, Anina McEntyre, Elizabeth |
author_sort |
Dean, Kimberlie |
title |
First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
title_short |
First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
title_full |
First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
title_fullStr |
First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
title_full_unstemmed |
First Nations Peoples in the forensic mental health system in New South Wales: Characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
title_sort |
first nations peoples in the forensic mental health system in new south wales: characteristics and rates of criminal charges post-release |
publisher |
SAGE Publications |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00048674231151594 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00048674231151594 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/00048674231151594 |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry volume 57, issue 6, page 904-913 ISSN 0004-8674 1440-1614 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1177/00048674231151594 |
container_title |
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry |
container_volume |
57 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
904 |
op_container_end_page |
913 |
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1802006739401310208 |