How can the primary health care system better support Aboriginal people released from prison?

Project Short Title
SPRINT

Project Number
RMO 10316

Project Status
Completed

Chief Investigator
Dr Jane Lloyd, Prof Mark Harris, Prof Eileen Baldry, Ms Elizabeth McEntyre, Ms Dea Thiele, Ms Kathy Malera Bandjalan, Prof Juanita Sherwood, Dr Penny Abbott, Prof Jennifer Reath and Dr Devon Indig

Other Investigators
Mark Harris, Eileen Baldry and Elizabeth McEntyre (School of Social Sciences, FASS), Dea Thiel and Kathy Malera Bandjalm (AMSWS), Juanita Sherwood (UTS), Penny Abbott and Jennifer Reath (UWS), Devon Indig (UNSW)

 

Rationale

Given the disproportionate rates of Aboriginal incarceration and ill health among Aboriginal people who have been in custody, strategies to improve Aboriginal access to effective and culturally appropriate interventions are urgently needed. The current paucity of dedicated programs, exacerbated by cultural and geographical barriers, and a lack of continuity of care, decreases the accessibility of suitable substance misuse, mental health and other interventions for Aboriginal people, and are likely contributing factors to their demise and risk of re-entering the criminal justice system.  The purpose of this project was to understand how primary health care can both improve access to health care for Aboriginal people released from custody and also offer greater access to and coordination of social support services for former inmates in order to improve health outcomes.

Aims

The research examined how primary health care can better meet the health care and social support needs of Aboriginal Australians transitioning from prison to the community.  This includes:

  1. understanding the health and social needs of Aboriginal Australians released from custody
  2. examining the effectiveness of in-custody, pre and post release programs in providing primary health care and social support services for Aboriginal people released from custody
  3. identifying how to improve access to primary health care for Aboriginal people released from custody. 


Design and Method

This mixed methods study included a systematic literature review, linked dataset analysis and qualitative interviews. 

  1. The systematic literature review examined the:
  • physical, mental health and social support needs of Aboriginal people released from custody and
  • impact of pre and post release programs on Aboriginal people’s access to primary health care on release from custody.
  1. The linked dataset analysis investigated among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal former prisoners:
  • common reasons for hospital admission post release
  • frequency of hospital admissions and 
  • time between the first and second admission to hospital.
  1. The qualitative interviews with Aboriginal people who have been in contact with the criminal justice system, their families and service providers examined the barriers and facilitators to access to primary health care on release.  The findings can be accessed here.

https://bmcfampract.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-015-0303-0


SPRINT:  Services and Primary health care needs for Recently released Inmates in Need of Treatment and health management