Department of Premier & Cabinet Presentation to Policy Advisers Key Policy Issues facing Victoria

SD/CJ Relationship Their Inter-relationship and Impact on Public Health and Well-being CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE

CAR report Positive impact of social cohesion Strong correlations between disadvantage factors Poverty concentrated and entrenched in certain areas Measures social disadvantage by postcode area in Vic and New South Wales Social Disadvantage

CAR Disadvantage Factors Social Disadvantage Factors Low Birth Weight Low Work Skills Court Convictions Year 12 Incomplete Mortality Early School Leaving Disability/Sickness Allowance Low Family Income Psychiatric Hosp. Admissions Long Term Unemployment Child Neglect Unemployment Imprisonment Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 46

CAR Map Vic Social Comparison – Vic Unequal in Life Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, [Map 4] Disadvantage Degree of Disadvantage Middle range Degree of Advantage Advantage All others

CAR Map Melb Social Comparison – Melbourne Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, [Map 5] Unequal in Life Disadvantage Degree of Disadvantage Middle range Degree of Advantage Advantage All others

CAR Spac Comp Vic 1 Spatial Compression of Disadvantage Percentage of Victorian Postcode areas needed to account for 25% and 50% of instances of each form of disadvantage TO REACH 25% TO REACH 50% Imprisonment Child Neglect Long Term Unemployment Psychiatric Hospital Admissions Disability/Sickness Allowance Court Convictions Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 48 N = 647

CAR Spac Comp Vic 2 Spatial Compression of Disadvantage (cont’d) TO REACH 25% TO REACH 50% Low Birth Weight Year 12 Incomplete Unemployment Low Work Skills Early School Leaving Low Family Income Mortality Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 48 N = 647

CAR Social Cohesion Factors Social Cohesion Factors Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 46 Availability of informal help Volunteering Participation in organised recreation/sports groups

CAR Low Inc/Imp SC comp Community Development Interventions Drives a Wedge in the Cycle of Disadvantage Across local populations LOW FAMILY INCOME and IMPRISONMENT are strongly connected (0.55**) Connection grows stronger (0.62) Low social cohesion with Connection significantly weakens (0.18) with High social cohesion N = 277 **Significant at.01 level Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 79

CAR Unemp/Imp SC comp Across local populations UNEMPLOYMENT and IMPRISONMENT are strongly connected (0.65**) Connection grows stronger (0.75) Low social cohesion with Connection significantly weakens (0.22) with High social cohesion N = 277 Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd) Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 79 **Significant at.01 level

CAR Early Sch/Unemp SC comp Across local populations EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING and UNEMPLOYMENT are strongly connected (0.64**) Connection remains strong (0.63) Low social cohesion with Connection significantly weakens (0.28) with High social cohesion N = 277 Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd) Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 79 **Significant at.01 level

CAR Unemp/Child Neglect SC comp Across local populations UNEMPLOYMENT and CHILD NEGLECT are strongly connected (0.68**) Connection remains high (0.56) Low social cohesion with Connection drops (0.40) with High social cohesion N = 277 Impact of Community Development Interventions (contd) Source: Vinson, T., Community, Adversity & Resilience, Jesuit Social Services, Melbourne, 2004, p. 79 **Significant at.01 level

Criminal Justice Main Points Impact on general public Health of prisoners Custodial remand Imbalance between crime and prison rates Criminal Justice

Chart, crime/prison rates Prisoners Australia Crime Rate Australia per 100,000 population Crime rate down but Prison rate up Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004), Prisoners in Australia, ABS, Cat No , Table 16, p. 31. Source: Crime Statistics. Australian Institute of Criminology. Australian crime. Facts and figures 2004

Chart, increase in Remand Pop - Vic Increase in Remand Population - Vic Source: ABS, Community, Prisoners in Australia : , Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, 2004, pp. 56-7

Remand Factors Other: - Lack of stable accommodation and income Institutional Factors: - increased time on remand Crime: - common offences committed by remand population Factors contributing to increase in unsentenced prison population

Impact of Remand Disruption from social support networks and commitments to family Increased likelihood of guilty plea, or longer sentence Likelihood of assault Impact of Custodial Remand Deprivation of civil liberties due to remand in maximum security prisons Increased risk to health and general wellbeing

Financial Cost of Remand Financial Costs of Custodial Remand $214 million spent on Victorian prisons (2003-4) Average cost per prisoner per day = $ Source: Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services : Corrective Services

High Rates of Mental Illness High Rates of Prisoners with Mental Illness Source: Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ, Feb 2003, p.30 & % of prisoners met criteria for mental illness 20% met criteria for Major Depression 8% met criteria for Manic Depression (Bipolar) 7% met criteria for Schizophrenia 30% of prisoners surveyed had attempted suicide

High Rates of Hec C High Rates of Prisoners with Hepatitis C 58% of prisoners tested positive for Hep C Virus 69% of prisoners admit to injecting drugs 18.5% increase in prisoners found to be HCV carriers Source: Victorian Prisoner Health Studies, DOJ, Feb 2003, p. 90

Impact on Public Impact on General Public Increased expenditure on prison construction and operation Increased risk of Hepatitis C Infection - over 220,000 Australians already infected - 16,000 new infections each year Decreased expenditure on health and education and early intervention programs