Justice Health Unit Makes Submissions to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System

Melissa Willoughby, Dr Jesse Young, and Prof Stuart Kinner from the Justice Health Unit have made submissions to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. The purpose of the Commission is to provide the community with a clear and ambitious set of actions to improve Victoria’s mental health system and enable Victorians to experience their best mental health.

Commissioned by the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), a non-government peak organisation representing publicly funded Victorian AOD services, Dr Jesse Young and Melissa Willoughby led a submission entitled “Inequalities and inequities experienced by people with mental health and substance use issues involved in the criminal justice system.” This submission reviewed and synthesised evidence on the health of people with mental health and substance use issues involved in the criminal justice system, and access to mental healthcare and AOD treatment in prison and after release from prison. The submission makes 19 recommendations to the Commission, and is available to download here.

Unit Head Prof Stuart Kinner also made a submission, entitled “The mental health of justice-involved adolescents.” Stuart’s submission identified a pressing need for research to underpin evidence-informed responses  to the mental health needs of justice-involved youth, including through better access to linked administrative data on the health of these vulnerable young people. Stuart’s submission is available to download here.

The Commission is currently uploading submissions on a rolling basis on their website. Their findings will be published in the coming months.