Approximately 44,000 Australians are incarcerated at any given time — in prisons, remand centres, and youth detention. People in prison have dramatically higher rates of mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual disability, infectious disease, and chronic illness than the general population. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are incarcerated at 16 times the non-Indigenous rate. Many enter prison in poor health and exit in worse condition. Grant funding supports prison health programmes, mental health in custody, drug treatment, Indigenous health in prison, and the reintegration health support that reduces recidivism.
Scale
Health burden
People in custody have dramatically elevated rates of:
- Mental illness: approximately 40% have a mental health condition; much higher than general population
- Substance use disorders: approximately 70-80% have substance use issues
- Intellectual disability: significantly higher than general population
- Blood-borne viruses: hepatitis C (particularly via needle sharing in prison)
- Chronic disease: diabetes, heart disease, respiratory
- Trauma history: very high rates — childhood abuse, domestic violence, homelessness
Indigenous incarceration
Deaths in custody
State corrective services departments
Each state runs prison health services — varying significantly in quality and funding.
Department of Health
Some national prison health policy and funding.
Community Health in Prisons
State-administered community health services in prisons.
Justice Health NSW, Corrections Health VIC, etc.
State-specific prison health authorities.
Justice Health Australia
Advocacy for health in detention.
Lowitja Institute
Indigenous health including in prison settings.
Community legal centres
Legal health and rights in prisons.
Mental Health Australia
Mental health in custody advocacy.
Various rehabilitation organisations
Some rehabilitation organisations support people transitioning from custody.
Mental health in custody
Drug treatment in custody
Indigenous health in prison
Communicable disease
Transition and reintegration
Women in custody
Youth in detention
Chronic disease management
Legal health and rights
Hepatitis C is highly prevalent in Australian prisons — from sharing injecting equipment. Australia now has curative hepatitis C treatment (direct-acting antivirals — DAAs) that can cure the infection in 8-12 weeks.
Treating hepatitis C in prisons is both:
- A health equity issue (prisoners have rights to healthcare)
- A public health opportunity (treating prison populations reduces community transmission after release)
Despite the availability of curative treatment, hepatitis C treatment in prisons has been limited. Grant funding for hepatitis C treatment programmes in prisons is directly addressing this gap.
Post-release — highest risk moment
The period immediately after release from prison is the highest-risk moment for overdose and poor health outcomes. Applications that provide naloxone, medication continuity, and health navigation at release address the most critical transition.
OST in all prisons
Opioid Substitution Treatment is not available in all Australian prisons despite being standard of care in community settings. Applications advocating for OST access in all prisons are addressing a fundamental health rights issue.
Indigenous health and deaths in custody
Every Indigenous death in custody is a preventable tragedy — often linked to health neglect, inadequate mental health care, or failure to recognise medical emergency. Applications supporting Indigenous health in custody address Australia's most urgent human rights challenge.
Cultural programmes
Cultural programmes in custody — particularly for Indigenous inmates — are associated with reduced self-harm, better mental health, and lower recidivism. Applications supporting cultural programmes in prisons are evidence-aligned.
Tahua's grants management platform supports justice health funders and prison health organisations — with programme participant tracking, health outcome measurement, reintegration support data, and the reporting tools that help prison health funders demonstrate their investment in health equity behind bars.