Abstract
Objective: This paper aims to offer an overview of the mental health needs of Indigenous men and women in the criminal justice system and how Indigenous cultural perspectives on mental health might influence forensic mental health service provision.
Conclusion: There is a need for both mental health and criminal justice agencies to collaborate more closely in developing new models of service provision that incorporate Indigenous perspectives on social and emotional wellbeing, recognize culturally specific mental health risk and protective factors in relation to prevention, early intervention and treatment, and take advantage of the opportunities for treatment that arise in the context of criminal justice system intervention.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper arose from a larger project funded by the Koori Justice Unit, Department of Justice, Victoria.
DISCLOSURE
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.