Forensic psych, plan

Press, 14 September 1987, Page 9

Forensic psych, plan

A national plan for the psychiatric care of offenders may receive attention in the next year from the New Zealand branch of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. New Zealand did not have a: well thought-out plan for forensic psychiatry, said the new chairman ol.’ the college’s New Zealand branch, Dr Les Ding. The college would work on a plan as one of its priorities.

Dr Ding was appointed chairman of the college at its annual meeting in Wellington last week. He said there was a small group of people needing psychiatric care in New Zealand who were not having their needs met. The violently ill, who needed maximum security, were being catered for at Lake Alice Hospital in Marton, and ordinary psychiatric referrals of of-

fenders were dealt with in psychiatric hospitals throughout New Zealand. However, mediumsecurity prisoners who needed specialist psychiatric treatment were not being catered for, said Dr Ding. They were too disruptive for hospitals but the treatment could not be provided in prison. The college would be looking at this “in between” group in its planning.