❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice addresses the incarceration and mental health services for individuals found to be of unsound mind or unfit to stand trial, as well as the review of the Mentally Impaired Accused Act and the Christine Bruce incident.
AnsweredQoN 5927Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) How many people who have been found to be insane or not fit to stand trial have been incarcerated?
(2) How many people with a serious mental illness are incarcerated?
(3) Given the increase in the prison population, what has been the increase in -
(a) mental health services to this population;
(b) prison inreach to this population;
(c) inpatient facility to this population; and
(d) community services to this population?
(4) Who, if anyone, is reviewing the
Mentally Impaired Accused Act
?
(5) Have senior forensic clinicians and magistrates been instrumental in recommending changes to the
Mentally Impaired Accused Act
?
(6) What accommodation is available for people with serious mental illness who have a history of criminal offence(s) resulting in incarceration?
(7) What accommodation is available for people with serious mental illness who have offended in a serious manner?
(8) How many civil patients have been admitted into the forensic mental health unit?
(9) Has there been a formal inquiry into the Christine Bruce incident?
(10) If no to (9), why not?
(11) If a formal inquiry has been undertaken, has a report been prepared relative to that inquiry?
(12) Was staff at the community clinic where Christine Bruce worked at the time of her assault interviewed?
(13) If no to (12), why not?
(2) How many people with a serious mental illness are incarcerated?
(3) Given the increase in the prison population, what has been the increase in -
(a) mental health services to this population;
(b) prison inreach to this population;
(c) inpatient facility to this population; and
(d) community services to this population?
(4) Who, if anyone, is reviewing the
Mentally Impaired Accused Act
?
(5) Have senior forensic clinicians and magistrates been instrumental in recommending changes to the
Mentally Impaired Accused Act
?
(6) What accommodation is available for people with serious mental illness who have a history of criminal offence(s) resulting in incarceration?
(7) What accommodation is available for people with serious mental illness who have offended in a serious manner?
(8) How many civil patients have been admitted into the forensic mental health unit?
(9) Has there been a formal inquiry into the Christine Bruce incident?
(10) If no to (9), why not?
(11) If a formal inquiry has been undertaken, has a report been prepared relative to that inquiry?
(12) Was staff at the community clinic where Christine Bruce worked at the time of her assault interviewed?
(13) If no to (12), why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 March 2008
Responded by
Minister for Regional Development representing the Minister for Corrective Services
Response time
26 days
(1) The Department of Corrective Services is not able to provide information on persons
incarcerated.
Incarceration
may include persons sent to Graylands without having a sentence recorded or serving a prison term.
The table below shows numbers of distinct persons
imprisoned
as a result of having been found to be of
unsound mind
or
unfit
to stand trial
- the Department does not use the terminology "insane". If persons were received more than once, they were only counted in their first year of receival.
Calendar Year
Number of distinct persons
2001
0
2002
2
2003
6
2004
2
2005
2
2006
4
2007
3
2008 to date
1
(2) The Department is unable to provide a response to this as there is no definition for
serious mental illness.
(3) The terminology used in question (3), (a),(b) & (c) is ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. It is respectfully requested that this question be re phrased.
(4) In 2003 the Government appointed Professor D'Arcy Holman to review the
Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Defendants) Act 1996.
The recommendations of the Holman review were based on extensive public consultation. In 2004 a report on the recommendations of the review was prepared by the Chief Psychiatrist, Dr Rowan Davidson, who chaired a committee comprising of senior officers from the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, the Public Advocate and the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board. The findings of this committee are being used to draft new legislation.
(5) Yes.
(6), (7) and (8) In reference to questions 6, 7 and 8, the terminology used is ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. It is respectfully requested that the questions be re phrased.
(9), (10), (11), (12) and (13) This incident occurred at a community forensic mental health facility and any questions should be referred to the Minister for Health.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
incarcerated.
Incarceration
may include persons sent to Graylands without having a sentence recorded or serving a prison term.
The table below shows numbers of distinct persons
imprisoned
as a result of having been found to be of
unsound mind
or
unfit
to stand trial
- the Department does not use the terminology "insane". If persons were received more than once, they were only counted in their first year of receival.
Calendar Year
Number of distinct persons
2001
0
2002
2
2003
6
2004
2
2005
2
2006
4
2007
3
2008 to date
1
(2) The Department is unable to provide a response to this as there is no definition for
serious mental illness.
(3) The terminology used in question (3), (a),(b) & (c) is ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. It is respectfully requested that this question be re phrased.
(4) In 2003 the Government appointed Professor D'Arcy Holman to review the
Criminal Law (Mentally Impaired Defendants) Act 1996.
The recommendations of the Holman review were based on extensive public consultation. In 2004 a report on the recommendations of the review was prepared by the Chief Psychiatrist, Dr Rowan Davidson, who chaired a committee comprising of senior officers from the Department of Health, the Department of Justice, the Public Advocate and the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board. The findings of this committee are being used to draft new legislation.
(5) Yes.
(6), (7) and (8) In reference to questions 6, 7 and 8, the terminology used is ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. It is respectfully requested that the questions be re phrased.
(9), (10), (11), (12) and (13) This incident occurred at a community forensic mental health facility and any questions should be referred to the Minister for Health.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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