Forum to examine the “criminalisation” of mental illness

8 October 2012
For immediate release

Mental Health Awareness Week forum to examine the “criminalisation” of mental illness

An upcoming community forum seeks to examine whether our current justice system, and the way in which it deals with mentally ill offenders, results in a “criminalisation” of mental illness. The forum will question whether someone suffering a mental illness should be treated as an offender or whether we need to be looking to alternative approaches.

JustSpeak, a non-partisan network of young people who seek to encourage a new generation of debate around criminal justice issues, will hold its third forum in Auckland and examine the way in which the criminal justice system responds to offenders who suffer from a mental illness. The forum will coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, and seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues associated with the criminal justice system.

The forum will feature: Dr Brian McKenna, Director of the Centre for Mental Health Research and Nurse Consultant for the Auckland Regional Forensic Psychiatry Service; Kris Gledhill, Director of the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice, and author of Defending Mentally Disordered Persons; Dr Karmyn Billing, Clinical Psychologist, Kari Centre Youth Early Intervention Service; and Jemma Stephens, Community Mental Health Nurse, Kari Centre Youth Early Intervention Service.

Mental health issues among prison inmates are major concern. In New Zealand, 60% of prison inmates are reported to have at least one major personality disorder. Danielle Kelly, JustSpeak Auckland spokesperson, says: “When we start to understand the extent of mental disorders amongst prison and offender populations, we can’t help but ask the question: is there something we could be doing differently?”

The forum will be held on Thursday 11th October from 6.15pm at Stone Lecture Theatre at the University of Auckland Law School. It is a free and open event.
Background:

JustSpeak was formed at the beginning of 2011 as the youth arm of Rethinking Crime and Punishment. The guiding ethos driving JustSpeak is that young people have much to offer to the national conversation on criminal justice. Among other things, young people bring an imaginative outlook, a feeling of urgency, and a sense of hope. Since forming, JustSpeak has made a number of contributions, including holding a series of monthly forums in both Wellington and Auckland.

These forums aim to bring together young people from different backgrounds to educate and upskill members on issues of criminal justice. Topics have previously included Maori and the Criminal Justice System, Vulnerable Children, Drugs and the Criminal Justice System, Boot Camps, the Political Response to Criminal Justice Issues, and Media and the Criminal Justice System. JustSpeak launched in Auckland in August 2012 with a forum on youth offending, which attracted a large audience and significant media interest. The following forum in September examined the potential for the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts. For more information, visit justspeak.org.nz.

ENDS

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