Start Court and Links programs helping turn lives around
Chris Hipwood from Outcare Magistrate, Elaine Campione and Dr Adam
Two programs which provide critical mental health services for people caught up in the criminal justice system, recently celebrated 10 years of successful outcomes.
The Start Court, which is the only one of its kind in Australia, for adults and Links program at the Perth Children’s Court have helped thousands of individuals address underlying causes of offending behaviour and turn lives around.
Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Adam Brett said Start Court is a voluntary program for offenders who plead guilty, and combines access to support for mental health and drug and alcohol use, if required.
“The program has demonstrated an improvement in participants mental health, a reduction in recidivism and is cost effective,” Dr Brett said.
“The keys to success are the development of a multi-agency, multidisciplinary service located under the one roof, providing holistic support for clients.”
Perth Children’s Court Clinical Nurse Specialist Lisa Carr who has been working as a clinical nurse for the Links program since it began 10 years ago said the program was created to try and fill a gap in mental health services for young people.
“We found that many people who appeared before the Perth Children’s Court had unrecognised or unmet mental health needs that were contributing to their offending behaviour,” Lisa said.
“Figures show that identifying problems and providing support for these young people has improved mental health outcomes by around 80 per cent.”
To mark the 10-year anniversary, an event was hosted by the Department of Justice and Mental Health Commission with support from the Department of Health, North Metropolitan Health Service (NMHS), service provider Outcare and other stakeholders.
Representatives from NMHS, including Lisa Carr and Dr Adam Brett, spoke at the event held at the David Malcolm Justice Centre in Perth on Friday 30 June.