26 February 2022
WentWest aims to help reform primary care by providing support to health care professionals, and commissioning health services that generate better health outcomes in Western Sydney. That means finding accessible solutions to support all members of our community.
One of our commissioned providers, the Community Restorative Centre (CRC), provides through-care, post-release, and reintegration programs to people transitioning from prison back into the community.
Statistics from the 2020 Drug use monitoring in Australia report showed that 82% of police detainees tested positive for at least one drug type, and almost half tested positive for more than one drug[1]. 28% of detainees had consumed alcohol in the 24 hours before their arrest, and 29% reported that alcohol had contributed to their arrest[2]. Many people in the prison system struggle with problematic drug and alcohol use and are locked in this cycle of crime, homelessness, and incarceration.
CRC’s Prison Transition Program provides comprehensive support for people with a history of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and involvement in the criminal justice system. The CRC Pathways Home program is designed for people aged 10-24 years to help them build sustainable pathways outside of the justice system by addressing the individual, social, and structural causes of incarceration and addiction. WentWest funds CRC to ensure that specialist through-care support is available for those exiting the prison population into the Western Sydney region. This includes counselling, referrals, and support connecting to welfare, housing and health services in the community.
By addressing the drivers of incarceration, including substance use, mental health, social isolation, financial hardship and trauma, CRC helps reduce the risk of reoffending. Clients receive support ahead of their prison release date to allow for trust-building, connection to AOD and mental health services, assistance with accommodation, transport, finances (NDIS/Centrelink) and employment. This helps them reintegrate into the community and adhere to the conditions of their release. Recent studies showed that people who had access to the CRC program were 62.1% less likely to be convicted of further offences[3]. Financially, for every 275 program participants, $16 million could be saved from the overall judicial system over three years[4].
AOD is a priority health area in Western Sydney due to the huge impact it can have, not just on the lives of those dealing with addiction, but the entire community. Understanding the root cause of addiction and supporting clients to access appropriate services is vital to building a healthier Western Sydney.
Trent’s Story
Trent* is a young Aboriginal man with mental and physical health concerns who has been in and out of custody multiple times throughout his life. He had never previously been provided access to support services. The CRC program has helped connect Trent to the right services to live safely in the community and get his life back on track.
Read Trent’s story.
[1] Voce A & Sullivan T (2021) Drug use monitoring in Australia: Drug use among police detainees, 2020. Statistical Report no. 35. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/sr78221
[2] Voce A & Sullivan T (2021) Drug use monitoring in Australia: Drug use among police detainees, 2020. Statistical Report no. 35. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/sr78221
[3] Community Restorative Centre (2021), Breaking the cycle of incarceration, drug use and release: Evaluation of the Community Restorative Centre’s AOD and reintegration programs, Available from: https://www.crcnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CRC-AOD-Evaluation-final-report-1Dec21.pdf
[4] Community Restorative Centre (2021), Breaking the cycle of incarceration, drug use and release: Evaluation of the Community Restorative Centre’s AOD and reintegration programs, Available from: https://www.crcnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CRC-AOD-Evaluation-final-report-1Dec21.pdf