Turia raises questions around prosecution of mentally unwell

MP for Te Tai Hauauru, Tariana Turia, is seeking a response from the Ministers of Health, Corrections, Police and Justice regarding protocols related to the prosecution and sentencing of people who are mentally unwell.

“Over many years, I have been following up on concerns raised by one of my constituents in Taranaki, regarding her son” said Mrs Turia. “This is a supportive loving mother who has stood by her son, acknowledging his mental illness and wanting to protect him from harm”.

“Yet there are significant issues for whanau and the community concerning those who experience ongoing mental health problems” said Mrs Turia. “Many patients – such as the son of my constituent – may be placed in stressful situations within a justice setting that exacerbate their health issues, and may end up re-offending unless there is appropriate and specialist support available”.

“The Mason Inquiry established some core principles such as that mentally ill offenders should have the same right of access to mental health assessment and treatment as non-offenders; and that mentally ill offenders are the primary responsibility of the health system, not the corrections system” said Mrs Turia.

“It would seem to me that it is time to review the protocols for identifying the lines of responsibility when departments overlap at times when there are justice-related incidents with the mentally ill”.