Mental health of prison entrants

Over 3 in 10 prison entrants (31%) reported having been told that they have a mental health disorder. Further, a total of 16% of prison entrants reported currently being on medication for a mental health disorder: this represents just under half (46%) of those who reported ever having been told they have a mental illness.

Reporting a history of mental health problems was more common among female (41%) than male entrants (30%). In contrast, the same proportions of male and female entrants (16%) were currently on medication for mental health disorders. This may suggest that males were more likely than females to opt for medication for mental health disorders, or that males experience psychological disorders that professionals are more likely to medicate.

Non-Indigenous prison entrants (38%) were more likely than Indigenous prison entrants (23%) to have ever been told that they have a mental health disorder. They were also more likely to be currently taking medication for a mental health condition and be currently experiencing high and very high levels of psychological distress (Figure 1). 

Psychological distress

• Half of all prison entrants (50%) experienced low levels of psychological distress during the four weeks immediately preceding entry to prison. Nearly two in five prison entrants (36%) said their distress was related to their current incarceration, but the remaining 53% said it was not.
• Almost 3 in 10 (29%) had high or very high levels of distress.
• Over 2 in 5 (42%) female entrants compared with 27% of male entrants experienced high or very high levels of distress (Figure 2).
• More than half (52%) of male entrants experienced low levels of distress in the four weeks preceding prison entry, compared with 38% of female entrants.
• Consistent with other results in relation to mental health, distress was lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous prison entrants. In the four weeks prior to incarceration, one-fifth (20%) of Indigenous entrants experienced high or very high levels of distress, compared with over one-third (35%) of non-Indigenous entrants. Levels of psychological distress were very similar across age groups.

Comparisons with the general population

Indigenous prison entrants reported levels of psychological distress which were similar to or lower than those in the general Indigenous population. Indigenous prison entrants aged 18–34 years were more likely to experience low/moderate psychological distress compared with the general Indigenous population (79–81% and 62–69%, respectively) (Figure 3).

Similar levels of psychological distress were experienced by Indigenous prison entrants and the general Indigenous population aged 35–44 years, in both the low/moderate (67%) and high/very high categories (30–31%) (Figure 3).