Forensic Mental Health in Australia: Charting the Gaps

Abstract

The process of national mental health reform is constrained by the failure to take account of forensic mental health services adequately. While there is some recognition that achieving national consistency in forensic mental health is important, the achievement of this goal is hampered by substantial inter-jurisdictional differences in justice-sector funding, sentencing, and program infrastructure, leading to service gaps in forensic health services and inadequate connections between health and corrections services within jurisdictions. Achieving national consistency in forensic mental health within the broader mental health reform agenda requires national leadership directly to target people accessing health through a corrections gateway. The interconnectedness of public services such as education, housing, health and criminal justice must be acknowledged to provide a starting point from which equity of access and services can be addressed.