Letter To The Editor

The human rights and clinical needs of incarcerated mentally ill people must be properly addressed, says a Mental Health Workers Alliance letter to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The following letter was sent to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald in response to an article by Stephanie Gibbs (16 May, 2005) titled 'Mentally ill kept in solitary despite warnings'.

To read the full text of the article visit:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/05/15/1116095857404.html

Dear Editor,

The plight of MA, the mentally ill man kept in solitary confinement, is a very depressing story of injustice and human rights abuse. It highlights the shameful lack of appropriate facilities for the seriously mentally ill who are temporarily unable to control their aggression, and for those who come under the forensic provisions of our Mental Health Act.

But most importantly, it must prompt us to ask, how many other MAs are in our cells?

The government needs to confront and come to grips with the fact that is no 'cut price' approach to caring for the acutely ill and aggressive in a way that is both therapeutic and safe. Similarly, it will also cost a lot of money to properly cater for those who are either unfit to plead in relation to an offence or are found to be not guilty because of their mental illness.

It is not good enough to promise a new facility at Long Bay. Prison is where those who are guilty are sent as punishment, or who are remanded after bail has been formally denied.

The human rights and clinical needs of this group of mentally ill people must be properly addressed. The passing of the political buck from Justice Minister to Health Minister highlights the philosophical point.

Angela Garvey
Mental Health Workers Alliance

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