Overview:
Maintaining adequate connections with the outside world is an essential right for any patient isolated with limited human contact. Mental health patients are legally entitled to rehabilitative care and support, not punishment based treatment. Therefore to withhold visitation rights of a patient, which is an essential aspect of their social devolvement during the rehabilitative process, is an unethical infringement upon patient’s rights. It is not only important for the patient, but also their family and the individuals of the community impacted by their disorder.
Justice Action Publications:
Mad in Australia: This publication exposes the history of abuse of mental health patients in historical and cultural context. It identifies how the culture of doctors forcing medication on mental health patients began, in breach of their ethical obligations, and against the evidence of its effectiveness. It also offers solutions.
The Our Pick Report: This report written by Justice Action concerning the state of mental health in Australia. Justice Action decided to focus on the mental health area after it had become apparent that a new strategy was required to defend community interest and prisoners’ rights against the law and the added effects of tension, boredom, powerlessness and isolation occuring in imprisonment. Many prisoners become forensic patients or remain in prison under medication: the rates of major mental illness in prisons have been found to be three times higher tha that of the general population. This report confront the abuse of ‘care’ in mental health and prisons.
Mental illness policy issues: There are serious failings in the way that public policy addresses mental illness in our society. The most serious failings as well as other inherent issues within mental health have been identified that is broadly reflected in Mental Illness Policy Issues. The single greatest cause of distress and difficulty; to the greatest proportion of those living with mental illness, is the way our society responds to them.
Denial of visiting: A report by Justice Action into the struggle for visitation rights for Saeed, the value of community access to mental health patients.
Breakthrough – First visit for Saeed’s Friends: A report by a Justice Action worker into a visit to Saeed
History of attempts to visit Saeed
Media Release 27/04/2010 – Mental patient challenges abuse
Media Release 01/07/2010 – Launch Report on mental health abuse and Proposal
Media Release 15/09/2011 – Mental health outrage – hospital blocks visits
Media Release 29/09/2011 – Mental Health breakthrough – hospital visit approved
Media Release 18/10/2011 – Mental Hospital blocked ‘Celebration Day’ visits
Media Release 04/04/2013 – National Social Inclusion Conference hears Saeed and Malcolm