Coroner Calls for Urgent Review of Prisoner Mental Health Services Following Inmate Suicide
A Tasmanian coroner has issued a call for an urgent review of prisoner mental health services following an inquest into the suicide of Robert Harold Gerard at Risdon Prison in May 2022.
The inquest revealed concerning details about Mr. Gerard's mental health care while incarcerated. He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and received medication and assessments, but his condition fluctuated throughout his 16 months in custody. Despite expressing suicidal thoughts, he was not seen by a psychiatrist for a month due to staffing shortages.
Coroner Robert Webster found the treatment of Mr. Gerard to be "reasonable" but questioned the level of resourcing available for prisoner mental health care. He recommended an urgent review of these services and the implementation of all recommendations to ensure Tasmania meets its human rights obligations.
The inquest also highlighted the issue of hanging points in Risdon Prison. Mr. Gerard was the third prisoner in a decade to die by suicide using the same method. The coroner recommended the removal of as many hanging points as possible, echoing recommendations made since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Prisoners Legal Service executive officer Anne Cleal expressed concern that inadequate mental health support in prisons could lead to the release of individuals with worsened mental health, posing a risk to community safety. She emphasized the importance of rehabilitation and human rights principles in the prison system.
The Department of Justice is currently reviewing the coroner's findings and recommendations. It remains to be seen whether the department will implement the recommendations and address the critical issues raised in the inquest.