A submission to parliament has put forward recommendations to grant better health access to reduce youth contact with the criminal justice system.
The AMA NSW has got the state’s Youth Justice Inquiry on the menu, with a slew of recommendations given to push for equitable care for incarcerated youths.
On behalf of NSW doctors, AMA NSW has backed a needs-based support model and a comprehensive government approach to reduce youth contact with the criminal justice system.
“Young people in contact with the youth justice system experience a spectrum of unmet health challenges which are bi-directionally compounded with exposure to social and economic adversity,” the submission reads.
“The inaccessibility of Medicare and PBS in youth justice settings in NSW compromises continuity of care and is contributing to entrenching children in harmful cycles of institutionalization and recidivism.”
A preventative lens has been pushed by the health body to better address the underlying catalysts of youth crime to establish greater long-term outcomes.
Accessibility and identification of at-risk populations were listed as the key areas for reform, which the AMA NSW said could specifically be addressed by boosting access to continuity of care.
Currently, children in detention are not required to pay for healthcare received in incarceration but also do not have access to equal levels of care granted by Medicare.
The AMA NSW has formally recommended that equitable access to both Medicare and PBS medications be granted to young people in detention as part of re-offending prevention.
The submission highlights where upstream factors that impact an individual’s access to effective healthcare are creating greater downstream health impacts within the youth criminal justice system.
“Data demonstrates significant links between childhood maltreatment, health challenges and youth contact with the justice system,” the submission reads.
“It is important to note that mental or substance use disorders are generally not causative of youth interactions with the justice system.
“However, these disorders are linked with social determinants which are similar to those known to drive youth justice contact.”
Per the 2015 Young People in Custody Survey, 83% of participants presented with psychological disorder symptoms and 63% also presented with two or more conditions.
Related
Studies from 2003 and 2009 have also identified similar trends, with both mental health issues and neurodevelopmental conditions listed as common determinants within the youth justice system.
“Every effort should be made to, at the very least, maintain existing supports during a period of further social dislocation,” the AMA NSW submission reads.
“Improving the health of marginalised groups is crucial to improving health equity and preventing the premature loss of young lives.
“Failing to respond to the needs of our youth populations through a public health response will only perpetuate harmful cycles and disadvantage the whole community, both for this generation and the next ones.”
