A quantitative study has found that the risk of imprisonment within 28 days of inpatient mental health service discharge increased in New Zealand between 2012 and 2020. Data for the study were obtained from the Ministry of Health’s national mental health dataset. People experiencing imprisonment were more likely to be young, male, Māori or Pasifika, present with substance use and psychotic disorders involving aggressive or overactive behaviour, and to have undergone coercive interventions such as seclusion and compulsory treatment during their admission. Community-based mental health care may be increasingly reliant on the criminal justice system to manage aggressive and violent behaviour driven by mental illness, the study authors noted. They argue that mental health inpatient units should retain the capacity to safely manage these behaviours.
