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3.13 The South Australian Justice Reinvestment Working Group argued that the 'social costs of imprisonment not only to offenders but also to their family and friends becomes almost impossible to calculate'. 12 The social costs of imprisonment includecosts to families and children for the loss of a parent and/or breadwinner; loss of employment opportunities; poor health outcomes for prisoners, including a relatively high risk of mortality post-release; and loss of engagement with the community. 3.14 Many submitters pointed to the breakdown of social and family bonds as a result of incarceration. The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission submitted that: 13 3.15 The situation is exacerbated when the individual incarcerated is the main breadwinner or a parent. The lack of a parent creates difficult circumstances for a child, with a less stable and predictable home life, generating a higher chance of the child offending in the future. 14 A 2010 report indicated that 38,500 children inAustralia experienced the incarceration of a parent per year. 153.16 Aboriginal children are particularly at risk of having a parent in prison with the North Australian Aboriginal Family Violence Legal Services noting that 'up to 80% of Aboriginal women in prison are mothers…and an estimated 20.1% of Indigenous children in Australia will be affected by parental incarceration in their lifetime'. 163.17 The 2010 report also found that children with an incarcerated parent commonly experience a similar pattern of traumatic events, often witnessing their parent's crime and arrest, losing a parent, the disruption of their family environment, and the difficulties associated with visiting their parent within the prison system. 17Children with parents in prison are also more at risk of abusing drugs and alcohol, dropping out of school and exhibiting aggressive and/or antisocial behaviours. 3.18 When a mother is imprisoned, family breakdown is exacerbated particularly as there are a relatively small number of women's prisons and they are typically located in areas inaccessible by public transport. 18 Children may also face an uncertainfuture when their mothers are imprisoned, and often come to the attention of child welfare agencies. As a consequence, they may be placed in out-of-home care. 19Ms Tammy Solonec, Director, National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, noted that Indigenous youth are '10 times more likely to be in out-of-home care, currently comprising 31 per cent of all children in care'. 203.19 The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission noted that the cost of one child in out-of-home care was $104,443 per annum. 213.20 The committee heard that Indigenous prisoners are affected profoundly with the breakdown of links with family members and communities. Indigenous communities are also affected as every individual has a role to play including financial and social. If an individual or group of individuals is removed, the community is heavily burdened, weakening the community and exacerbating economic distress creating prime conditions for further offending behaviour. 22 Ms Solonec commented:
connection to culture can serve as a preventive measure against risk-taking behaviours. 233.21 The NSW Reconciliation Council noted that while the removal of a small number of serious offenders to prison may act as a deterrent and make communities safer, in Indigenous communities, the impact is significant: 24 3.22 The impact of imprisonment on young people was described by the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC). AYAC stated that incarceration of young people can have negative impacts resulting in a decrease in wellbeing, disengage the person from education and involvement with the labour force, disrupt positive relationships and socially exclude the person, and an increase in offending or recidivism. 253.23 A further impact on imprisonment occurs when the person leaves the corrections system. The Law Council of Australia explained: 26 Prisoner health 3.24 Submitters commented on the health impacts of imprisonment. The increase in prison populations has caused overcrowding in prisons, which impacts on prisoner health. Drug use and related health issues are a concern with a higher rate of hepatitis C and HIV manifesting in prison populations due to needle sharing. The overall prevalence of hepatitis is estimated to be between 23 and 47 per cent for male prisoners and between 50 and 70 per cent for female prisoners. As many prisoners move in and out of the corrections system quickly, these infections pose a risk to both the inmate and public health. Prisoners with histories of substance abuse are also at a higher risk of death once released, particularly death from drug overdose. 273.25 The prison population is also at risk in relation to mental health. There is a high rate of mental health illness in the justice system with 31 per cent of imprisoned individuals reporting they had been told by a health care professional that they had had a mental health disorder in their lifetime, 'a rate 2.5 times higher than the general population'. 283.26 It was also submitted that prisoners with mental ill-health do not have access to effective treatment programs, and often wait long periods of time before receiving support. Without adequate care, individuals suffering from mental ill-health are released back into the community without proper rehabilitation, with the possibility that their condition has worsened during their term of imprisonment. Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS), Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH), Western Australia Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies (WANADA) noted a 2011 report on Western Australian prisons which stated that 'with problematic prison overcrowding, the mental wellbeing of prisoners will only worsen as living conditions become more cramped…and interpersonal difficulties inevitably occur'. 293.27 The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) submitted that prisoners are more likely to die or be hospitalised, especially Aboriginal prisoners. Hospitalisation costs (based on bed days) of Aboriginal prisoners in the first year of release has been costed at $5.4 million in Western Australia alone, driven predominantly by mental and behavioural disorders and injuries. More than a third of Aboriginal women released from prison were hospitalised. 303.28 VACCHO went on to comment that Aboriginal people are also much more likely to die after they are released from prison, most commonly through suicide, motor vehicle accidents, circulatory system diseases and drug-related deaths. Aboriginal prisoners also experience poorer health, with much higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, blood borne viruses, high blood sugar and diabetes, liverdisease markers, asthma and more. These health problems lead to poor quality of life and premature death and results in grief, loss, and trauma among family, friends, and communities. VACCHO concluded that these imprisonment costs are a significant economic burden and an unquantifiable social cost. 313.29 Ultimately, the social factors created by imprisonment reinforce recidivism increasing the economic cost on the state. Sisters Inside explained that: 32 3.30 The over-representation of disadvantaged groups within prisons, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people experiencing mental ill-health, cognitive disability and hearing loss will be examined in Chapter 4. Conclusion 3.31 The increase in prisoner numbers is putting financial strain on the Australian justice system, which is quickly becoming unsustainable. Released prisoners are finding it difficult to find work and are facing multiple barriers to reintegrating with society. In addition, the removal of an individual from a community or family can have long lasting effects, as well as increasing financial burden. Due to the overcrowding of prisons, prisoner health is deteriorating and those health issues are being transferred to society with the release of prisoners. Governments need to address the long term economic and social costs of imprisonment to prevent further development of intergenerational offending, and occurrences of recidivism. |
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