The health of people in Australia's prisons 2022

Prison dischargees diagnosed with health conditions in prison

Prison dischargees were asked if they had ever been diagnosed with a health condition, and, if so, to specify its type. Dischargees were also asked if they had been diagnosed with a health condition for the first time in prison and, if so, the type of health condition.

Almost 3 in 4 (74%) prison dischargees were diagnosed with a health condition at some stage of their lives.

Female dischargees (33%) were more likely than male dischargees (25%) to be diagnosed with a health condition in prison.

Non-Indigenous dischargees (27%) and First Nations dischargees (25%) were similarly as likely to say they had a health condition diagnosed in prison.

The health conditions that prison dischargees most commonly said they had been diagnosed with at some stage in their lives were:

• psychological/mental health condition (46%)
• alcohol or drug use problem (42%)
• dental issues (39%) (Figure 3.4).

The health conditions prison dischargees reported they were diagnosed with for the first time in prison were most likely to be:

• dental issues (22%)
• musculoskeletal conditions (18%)
• psychological/mental health condition (17%)
• communicable diseases (14%) (Figure 3.4).

Figure 3.4: Prison dischargees, self-reported health conditions ever diagnosed and diagnosed in prison, 2022

(a) Percentage of all prison dischargees in the data collection who had ever been diagnosed with a health condition.

(b) Percentage of prison dischargees in the data collection diagnosed with a health condition that was first diagnosed during current prison stay.

Notes

1. Proportions are representative of this data collection only, and not the entire prison population.
2. Excludes Victoria, which did not provide data for this item.

Source: Dischargees form, 2022 NPHDC.