Disability justice centres — interim arrangements

Extract from Hansard

270. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Minister for Disability Services:

I refer to the prison in-reach interim arrangements to be implemented immediately while the disability justice centres—declared places—are designed and built.

(1) What services will be delivered under these arrangements?

(2) How will those services be coordinated?

(3) How many people does the minister anticipate are in immediate need of these services?

(4) How many of these people are in regional prisons and which ones?

Hon HELEN MORTON replied:

Obviously, I was really thrilled last weekend to announce the declared places, but what never got as much attention at the time of the announcement was the in-reach programs, so I am really pleased that the member has brought that up and basically given it another opportunity.

(1) Programs will be designed according to the individual needs of each person in custody who is found unfit to plead due to their intellectual or cognitive disability. Funding is available as of 1 July 2012 and will initially be used in the development of these programs. While the programs are not up and running at this stage, there will be a short period in which that developmental process takes place.

(2) Individuals will be referred to the program by the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board. The Disability Services Commission will work in partnership with the Department of Corrective Services in undertaking the programs. Reports on the progress of each individual will be provided by the Disability Services Commission to the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board. Therefore, to be eligible, people basically have to be referred by the MIAR board.

(3) Up to 10 people at any particular time.

(4) There is one person that we are aware of at the moment and they are in Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison.