Human Rights and Prisons - Rethinking Crime and Punishment

Over 80% prisoners had a dual diagnosis of mental health problems
and substance abuse issues;
About 20% prisoners had high levels of suicidal ideation;
Nearly 60% prisoners had at least one diagnosable personality
disorder;
25% of all prisoners had suffered a major depressive disorder.
In 2001, Brinded et al (2001:171) estimated that 135 inmates would currently
require „hospital care for acute psychotic illness‟. The Department of
Corrections (2008) has recently considered that up to 20% prisoners required
some level of specialist mental health care. The Ministry of Health estimates
that prisoners are three times more likely to require mental health services
than the general population, with almost a third of the prison population
experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems (The Office of the
Auditor-General, 2008). Further, the Ministry of Health (2008) indicates that
Māori prisoners have higher levels of mental illness than the general prison
population.
It is also known that prison conditions can undermine health conditions for
prisoners (Ministerial Committee, 1989). While, for some individuals,
imprisonment may offer opportunities to have shelter, regular meals and some
access to health care (offering benefits that go beyond their societal
experiences), many prisoners can experience a deterioration in their health
conditions. As the National Health Committee (2008) details, the prison
environment can increase stress, anxiety, aggression, hyper-vigilance and
trigger memories of past abuse – all of which can excerbate existing
conditions or cause mental health problems to develop.
Mental health problems – that are dovetailed with issues of intellectual
disability, prisoner status, dual diagnosis, and so on – can mean that
prisoners are made more vulnerable to further victimisation within the prison
environment (The Ombudsmen‟s Office, 2007). These problems can also
continue on, post-release, making opportunities for rehabilitation (such as in
terms of gaining employment) even more difficult.
Public attitudes and perceptions
Recent media reports have noted some alarm at the rising costs of prisoner
health care. The Dominion Post, for instance, has noted that medical costs
have risen from $8mn in 2002 to $22mn in 2008 (Broun, 2009). The
explanations for this increase include: rising prison numbers, rising treatment
costs, higher pharmaceutical prices, high rates for GPs and medical
specialists, and improved care standards set by Ministry of Health. In the
wake of this information, a Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman argued that
prisoners deliberately access prison for free medical treatment and that they
should not receive the same health entitlements as the general population,
especially when it is regarded that health problems are the result of selfneglect
or are self-induced (Broun, 2009).
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