Checks failing prisoners, says Minister

Mental health screening in prisons is failing some inmates, who are not getting the help they need, says Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor.

"I think there's little doubt that we have within the prison population mental health needs that have not been fully addressed," Mr O'Connor said after speaking to the Cutting Edge alcohol, drug and addiction treatment conference in Wellington yesterday.

He said a more thorough screening process on trial in Christchurch had identified inmates' problems that would have otherwise fallen through the cracks.

This suggested that those exposed to the old process had mental health issues that were not being addressed.

Mr O'Connor would not identify specific cases, but said there were "cases where some would say we can improve the system".

The Government was working on plugging those gaps to ensure prisoners with mental health problems could obtain the services they needed.

The Government is revamping the mental health services within the criminal justice system and boosting resources, including two more intensive drug treatment units for prisons, which will bring the number to six.

Mr O'Connor said prisoners who completed the treatment were 10 per cent less likely to be reimprisoned within two years of release than those who had not. "The important thing is to get the treatment right, so we can rehabilitate people.

"We don't want them finishing their sentence and ending up back at the front door because their underlying mental health problem has not being adequately addressed."

He said part of the concern over the screening process was having to distinguish between psychiatric and psychological problems.

"The medical assessment that differentiates [that] sometimes makes it difficult for them to get the kind of medical care that most of us would expect is needed for some of these offenders.

"These are all people who need professional care, yet the system is adamant such a demarcation should occur."

He said if it continued, "health care will continue to be disjointed and expose too many New Zealanders to a lack of proper care".

The Christchurch pilot, if successful, would be implemented nationwide.

At the conference, Mr O'Connor said addiction problems went hand-in-hand with criminal offending.

"Between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of offenders are affected by alcohol or other drugs at the time of their offending. The figure is even higher - a staggering 83 per cent - for those who have experienced addiction issues at some point in their lives.

"There is no doubt that the social cost of addictive behaviour continues to be widespread, affecting individuals, families, communities and employers.

"There are also significant economic costs to employers and the health sector, as well as the criminal justice sector, the police, labour, welfare system and our education system."