What proportion of prison entrants have a mental health condition?
In 2022, more than half (51%) of prison entrants reported being told they had a mental health or behavioural condition (including drug and alcohol abuse) at some point in their lives. This is substantially higher than the general Australian population, of whom, based on the 2022 National Health Survey, around one-third (32%) reported that they had a mental or behavioural disorder.
Female prison entrants were more likely to report a history of a mental health condition at some stage in their lives (63%) than male prison entrants (49%). Compared with First Nations prison entrants (43%), non-Indigenous prison entrants (60%) were more likely to report a history of a mental health condition at some stage in their lives (AIHW 2023).
Data on specific diagnoses are not collected by the NPHDC. However, some data are published by state and territory custodial health departments. In 2020, about half (47%) of people who entered prison in New South Wales reported that they had previously received treatment for a mental health condition. Of these, the most frequently reported diagnosis was depression (50%), followed by anxiety (39%) and schizophrenia (18%) (JHFMHN 2022).
Self-assessed mental health status in prison
Self-assessed health status is a measure of how people rate their mental health (either as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor). About 3 in 5 (59%) prison entrants reported their mental health as good or better. A larger proportion of male entrants (61%) than female entrants (50%) reported their mental health as good or better. Compared with non-Indigenous entrants (50%), First Nations entrants (69%) were more likely to describe their mental health as generally good or better
About three-quarters (73%) of prison dischargees reported their mental health as good or better. About 4 in 5 (81%) reported their mental health improved or stayed the same during their current period in prison. More female dischargees (81%) than male dischargees (72%) described their mental health as good or better. A higher proportion of First Nations dischargees (80%) than non-Indigenous discharges (67%) described their mental health as generally good or better.
Psychological distress in prison
The level of psychological distress over the preceding 4 weeks can be assessed by the widely used and well-validated Kessler 10 (K10) scale (Andrews and Slade 2001), which has been shown to be a good indicator of serious mental illness (Kessler et al. 2002).
More than 2 in 5 (43%) prison entrants reported high or very high levels of psychological distress. A higher proportion of female entrants (63%) than males (40%) reported high or very high levels of psychological distress. More than a half of non-Indigenous entrants (54%) reported high or very high levels compared with almost one-third (32%) of First Nations entrants.
Over one quarter (26%) of prison dischargees reported high or very high levels of psychological distress. More male dischargees (27%) than female dischargees (17%) reported high or very high levels. More non-Indigenous discharges (30%) than First Nations dischargees (21%) reported high or very high levels of psychological distress. For more information on psychological distress, refer to Prevalence and impact of mental illness.
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