They aren't criminals; prisoners need help with healing Mental Illness, Addictions & Trauma

Now I have your attention I would like to say it is my belief, we are looking at those incarcerated through the wrong set on of eyes. I am a huge believer in finding the root cause of people's behaviours.

I would like to see the statistics around every person who is incarcerated throughout Australia; and their relationship or links to mental illness.

I would go as far as saying, majority of people locked away, struggle with a type of mental illness.

Addictions are also now being widely talked about as a type of mental illness, and we see many who are incarcerated are inside on the back of crimes committed whilst heavily influenced by drugs or alcohol.

People are incarcerated for particular behaviours, fair enough, certain behaviours are not tolerated in society, I understand this. What if when judged on these behaviours, these individuals who are convicted and sentenced, are actually rehabilitated for their behaviours?

What if we got to these individuals before the behaviours were part of their daily habits?

See, with people, we see behaviours. We strip back the behaviours, we find substance abuse, strip back the substance substance abuse, we find trauma and illness.

Wouldn't we be better served treating these traumas and illness, rather than locking these people away?

I've known of guys who have been locked away, incarcerated, placed in a cell for up to 23hrs a day - tell me how that is rehabilitating?

The way I see the prison system as is; we see individuals locked up, do their time - on release many head back to the exact same habits, alcohol & drug use, with that leads them to behaviours that lead to incarceration.

As is, there is very little rehabilitation in behaviours because there is no addressing the root of what leads those to their behaviours - mental illness (alcohol and substance use) and trauma.

I believe, there needs to be a re vamp of the entire system - again, so many people locked up for their behaviours and no one talks about why they are producing these behaviours; strip back the behaviours, we have substance, alcohol and drug abuse; strip back the substance abuse, those who use, do so to hide a trauma or feed an addiction..

We need to treat people on their traumas & illness - rather than their behaviours, which happen from a result of covering trauma & addiction.

Heal the trauma & illness rather then locking people away and keeping it dormant for it to arise on their release...

JW