“History is repeating itself” in the case of former state wards in prison

• Contracts for the Mental Health Improvement Service, which provided counseling and therapy to 4,047 inmates last year, expire in June 2025.
• Corrections says it will soon go out to tender for new services, but staff warn some vulnerable customers could spiral out of control
• Health care system “failing” prisoners – psychiatrist
• A repeating story for former charges currently behind bars.

Mental health workers fear that some inmates who are suicidal, psychotic or have other serious mental health problems will be left without support when their contracts end.

Just a week after the state’s historic apology to survivors of care violence, they warn that history is repeating itself, with many of the same children continuing to experience state violence as adults.

Life under care

Tony’s life begins anew in his sixties, after serving 27 years in prison for murder.

He was sexually abused as a child by Catholic priests and at the age of 15 was placed in solitary confinement in a mental hospital in Sunnyside. He said it was only in his final years in prison that he received any effective psychological treatment.

“There was nothing there and if you go down that route (of asking for help) you will end up in a padded cell and that will be your fate. “You’re gone, it’s over, you won’t survive prison.”

It was the suicide of a fellow inmate, who was also molested by priests, that prompted him to seek help again after previous beatings.

“I said, ‘It’s either going to be me or I have to do something here.'”

He eventually received counseling through ACC.

“There were Corrections staff who also helped, but there was only so much they could do. This is not a hospital, they are not trained for this.

“I saw people in prison that I looked at and thought, ‘What are you even doing here?’

“Once the door closes behind you, you’re on your own.”

Mental health contracts expire

Last year, Mental Health Improvement, which began in 2017, provided counseling and therapy to more than 4,000 prisoners.

However, all contracts end either in June next year or in 2026.

It was intended for people with “mild to moderate” psychological problems.

However, one mental health specialist who works for one of these services said his cases included prisoners who had been released from forensic services, as well as others who suffered from psychosis or were actively suicidal.

“These are some of the most marginalized people in our community. Yes, they’ve done some terrible things, but they’re not terrible people,” said the employee, whom RNZ agreed not to name.

“Hardened criminals were shouting at me and saying I was the first person to be told they had been sexually abused, so I managed to connect them with male survivors counseling and ACC because that’s what they need. If they don’t have someone to tell them this, they will fall into ruin.”

The employee said the directors of all mental health improvement services providers recently held a meeting with the Department of Corrections, during which management admitted there was “no money” for the next six months and “no time” to issue a new tender.

“Our contract ends in June next year, but we are all looking for new jobs now so that we can all leave by Christmas.

“If they (Correction) say publicly that support will be available from July 1 – what kind of support is that? Only ISP (intervention and support team)? They don’t have the right opportunities. Nurses?

“The medical team is shitting themselves because everything will fall on them – they have no strength left, they are already overwhelmed by physical needs.

“Will this fall on corrections officers? They are not trained and it is not their job. Nothing will come of it.”

The doctor questioned whether Corrections would be able to redesign the service, put it out to tender and ensure it was staffed and operational before the current contracts expired.

“They have so many openings for alcohol and other drug counselors right now.”

Time for a new approach, says Corrections

Corrections mental health and addictions director Emma Gardner said the agency was not cutting services – they had simply reached the end of their “life cycle”.

“We have used all available extensions, so under government procurement regulations we have to go back to the market to see if there are other services that have developed since 2017.”

Funding for new services will continue at the same level as existing contracts, which cost $5.17 million in the year to June.

Meanwhile, Corrections was working to recruit internal staff, Dr. Gardner said.

“As part of mitigating the impact of the expiration of these services, we are working with suppliers to ensure a smooth transition to our existing internal services or getting them to where they need to go, and of course we will be reaching out to new services as well.”

However, Labour’s mental health spokeswoman Ingrid Leary was skeptical that Corrections would be able to implement the new programs within seven months.

“We will be watching this very closely because this Government has a track record of saying they are reorganizing services and doing business as usual when experience shows they are cutting frontline and services.”

Those responsible for the “failures” of the health care system – psychiatrists

Long-time forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio, who resigned as head of the Canterbury Regional Forensic Service in 2021, said many people with serious mental illnesses were confined to so-called intervention and support units in prisons.

These people were kept in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day, without access to natural light and air.

“When I provided clinical care in prisons, I was involved in many situations where people held in solitary confinement as adolescents and children were similarly subjected to such practices in prison due to inadequate facilities in psychiatric units.”

It seemed that New Zealand had yet to learn from the lessons of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of State and Religious Institutions, he said.

“We have just established the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Violence in State and Religious Institutions. I’m pretty confident we’ll end up with a similar inquiry into our treatment of people with mental disorders in prisons. Because what happened in state care facilities and faith institutions are now happening in prisons. Please let us not let history repeat itself because (they) are once again presiding over the problems of exploitation of vulnerable people.”

Dr. Monasterio said it was “an indictment of the health care system” that Corrections has taken over responsibility for the care of people with serious mental illnesses: to prevent these people from going to prison in the first place because they didn’t get the care they needed. treatment , and secondly, ensuring they have “fair access to mental health care while serving their sentences.”

“What’s next?” – asks the survivor

Tony said he believed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins had sincerely apologized to survivors.

“I believed them, it seemed real. But after some time I thought: ‘OK, what now?’

“People talk about compensation, but it won’t change anything – it may (improve the situation) for 10 or 15 minutes of someone’s life, but it won’t prevent it from happening again.

“I just hope they do it right and fix the system so that all children in this country have a chance at life.

– Why shouldn’t they?

Dr. Gardner said corrections facilities provided “additional support” following the state’s apology.

“For these people, this is a way for them to signal that they are struggling so that we can help them access services, or provide them with tips and tools they can use to deal with their own distress. That’s why we’ve put all this information on websites to support these people as best we can.”

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