Factsheet - Custodial settings
Overview
This factsheet outlines the Victorian Chief Psychiatrist's expanded oversight to include custodial settings under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022. From September 2023, specialist mental health services in prisons and youth justice centers provided by Forensicare and Orygen fall under the Chief Psychiatrist's jurisdiction and reporting requirements.
Key insights
Key Insights:
- Chief Psychiatrist oversight expanded to prisons and youth justice centers
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 implemented September 1, 2023
- 61% of Victorian prisoners have diagnosed mental illness upon entry
- Prisoners 2-3 times more likely to have mental illness than community
- Victoria's imprisonment rate doubled over past 20 years (62 to 123/100k)
- Forensicare and Orygen services now subject to reporting requirements
- Must report deaths, sexual safety incidents, and chemical restraint use
- Partnership with Corrections Victoria and Justice Health for service delivery
Did this resource draw on transformative evidence?
This document is not based on experiential evidence. It's a regulatory factsheet outlining policy changes and statutory requirements. While it cites statistics about prisoner mental health rates and references Royal Commission findings, the document itself establishes administrative oversight procedures rather than reporting on lived experiences or empirical research outcomes.
This document is partially based on practice wisdom. It incorporates insights from the Royal Commission's findings about improving mental health outcomes in custodial settings and establishes oversight mechanisms informed by professional understanding of forensic mental health needs. However, it's primarily a regulatory framework rather than practice-derived guidance.
This document is minimally based on research and evaluation insights. While it references Royal Commission findings and cites statistical data about prisoner mental health prevalence (61% diagnosed mental illness, 2-3x higher rates), it's primarily a regulatory implementation document rather than a research-based analysis or evaluation report.
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Resource type
Practice Guideline