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ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
The Hon. IAN GILFILLAN: I seek leave to make an explanation before asking the Attorney-General, representing the Minister for Police, Correctional Services and Emergency Services, a question regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in relation to correctional services.Leave granted.
The Hon. IAN GILFILLAN: The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Journal of 1997 contains a report into the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and describes it as ‘a behavioural syndrome in which symptoms of hyperactivity and/or inattention cause impairment in social, academic or occupational functioning’. It further states:
A wide variety of human service agencies, largely within the health, education, welfare and justice systems, provide assistance with management of the disorder and its effects...For individuals, defiance or aggression in early childhood later increases the risk of conduct disorder, substance abuse and criminality. . . Large studies in the United Kingdom...in New Zealand. . . and in Canada . . . document the influence of early disruptive behaviour, language learning disorders and family adversity on delinquency. The developmental trajectory of early disruptive behaviour, progressing through conduct disorder to anti-social personality disorder and chronic offending, predisposes to persistent offending, including perpetration of violent crime.A recent survey recorded ADHD in 25 per cent of male prisoners...Legal precedent in the Supreme Court of Western Australia (1995) has recently recognised the impact of ADHD, associated learning disability and social compromise in the risk of delinquency. Needs are often unmet during juvenile incarceration, an opportunity that could have offered a chance for identification and intervention. . .
There are therefore major implications for management of ADHD and its co-morbidities in the justice and welfare systems.
I repeat the figure from the survey, that 25 per cent of adult prison inmates in one study had ADHD. The Minister and members may remember that I asked a question earlier this session about the incidence of alcoholism and drug addiction in relation to inmates in prisons. I repeat that many people associated with correctional services feel that the prevention aspect is being grossly ignored and that instead we are lamenting the effect of ignoring this condition which results in a steep increase in crime and offences against the public, with the associated cost of incarceration, imprisonment and punishment.It is important to look at the assessments in relation to the current treatment for ADHD, bearing in mind that it has a very expensive social impact on us with regard to criminal incidence and cost of imprisonment. The NHMRC report with regard to current services states:
Federally:State:
Consequently, support services are primarily the responsibility of parents, the implications of which are:
1. Does the Minister agree that ADHD is a significant long-term correctional services issue?
2. While the Government has set in place an inter-agency working group to make recommendations on responses to ADHD, what is this group doing to follow the NHMRC recommendations to provide a combined response in resource provision to help families affected by ADHD?
3. Given the recommendations that a multi-modal approach is to be used and the socio-economic barriers to appropriate ranges of treatment, what is the Government doing to ensure that solely pharmaceutical methods are not being used and that all South Australians have equal access to the best treatment for ADHD?
4. What, if any, multi-modal treatments are offered to prisoners in South Australia? We had evidence that 25 per cent of male prisoners are affected. What, if any, research is currently being undertaken into the effect of ADHD in South Australian prisons?
The Hon. K.T. GRIFFIN: It is recognised that there are a number of difficulties in the correctional services system in respect of prisoners. In this State there are a number of core programs available to address the most frequently identified need areas. They have been clearly identified as cognitive skills, substance abuse, literacy and numeracy, anger management, domestic violence and victim awareness. It is recognised that, if one can address a number of these disabilities, illnesses or problems, perhaps one can more effectively keep these persons away from a life of crime once they return to the world outside the correctional services institution. I do not have all the detail at my fingertips in relation to the matters raised by the honourable member. I will refer them to the Minister in another place directly responsible for the area of corrections and bring back a reply.
Read the Government's reply: May 26 1998