You do the crime you do the time: best practice model of health service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Inmates of the ACT Prison

The Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service study develops a best practice model of holistic health service delivery for Aboriginal inmates of the ACT Alexander Maconochie Centre. It highlights the limited national and international literature on Aboriginal and Indigenous prison health. And a lack of information about effective interventions to improve health outcomes, preventive health strategies, and managing the cycle of incarceration. The model is based on existing literature and data collected from 78 respondents (including 22 ex-prisoners, 17 family members of prisoners and ex-prisoners and 39 support organisation respresentatives). The proposed Holistic Health Care Prison Model makes a significant contribution to this area of research. The model provides holistic care during incarceration and planning for release, post-release health service coordination, and family and community reintegration strategies. The model provides a template for Aboriginal prison health models nationally.