hearing loss and the criminal justice system - Australian Indigenous ...

Senate Inquiry March 2010_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When individuals are in detention, they are close to the services they need and, as a ‘captiveclient’, are in a situation that overcomes many of the existing problems that make it difficultfor Indigenous people to access health services.However, they are not eligible for Australian HearingServices. It is ludicrous that legislated barriers exist toprevent Indigenous detainees from obtaining hearingaids. This is a situation where disadvantage, created bycontext and institutional dysfunction, is compounded bylegislated policy.Furthermore, good outcomes from surgicalinterventions to treat Conductive Hearing Loss can bebest achieved in controlled hygienic conditions. Suchconditions, it is sad to say, are more likely to occur when people are in detention than whenthey are living in their home community. However, it would appear rare, in the NorthernTerritory, at least, for the surgical repair of eardrums to occur while individuals are indetention.The issue of a process that would both identify those inmates in need of surgicalintervention and enable them to access appropriate services, was discussed with correctionsstaff. The comment was made that such a program would not be feasible because it wouldentail added costs for corrections officers to transportinmates and this would not be possible, given the fiscalIndigenous inmates accessingsurgery to repair eardrums isclearly a situation where ‘astitch in time’ ……legislated barriers exist to preventIndigenous detainees fromobtaining hearing aids. This is asituation where disadvantage,created by context and institutionaldysfunction, is compounded bylegislated policy.restraint being imposed at that time. Indigenousinmates accessing surgery to repair eardrums is clearlya situation where ‘a stitch in time’ could potentiallyresult in significant cost savings by reducing the coststhat would otherwise be incurred when unrepairedhearing loss might contribute to future criminal actswhich, in turn, may result in further detention.Training of corrections staff has the potential to improve communications in correctionalfacilities. Training designed to manage hearing related behaviour problems in schools wasconducted in a youth detention centre, where there were many Indigenous inmates, staffidentified the same processes operated in crowded noisy detention centres as happened inoften noisy schools. Staff described: Management problems arose most often in areas and at times when there were highnoise levels from congregated inmates. Similar management problems arose when changes to routines increased thelistening demands on detainees. Fights were common around a telephone in a public area that was not enclosed.When the phone was enclosed, and therefore less noise intrusion on conversations,the number of fights diminished. There were more arguments, aggression and violence after some detainees weremoved to a new residential block that had lots of modern hard polished surfaces;unlike the old one, which had carpet and soft furnishings. Fights decreased when_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________15 Phoenix Consulting