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Women, Justice and Gender Equality

Is the Minister aware of the fact that more than two thirds of women who enter prison have two or more identifiable mental illnesses? They often go to prison before an assessment is made of their mental state, and putting them in prison often exacerbates their illness. Does the Minister agree that we should get the court system to sharpen up its act, so that more assessments are conducted on women’s mental state using the court diversion system before they are sent to prison, rather than letting them go into a situation that could not be more damaging?