THE NUMBER of crimes committed by ex-inmates with mental-health problems has been reduced to nearly zero over the past nine months.

The Mental Health Department’s director-general, Squadron Leader Boonruang Triruangworawat, recently disclosed the figures and credited an initiative to provide mental healthcare to convicts behind bars for the success. “The ultimate goal is to prevent them from becoming repeated offenders,” Boonruang said. A 2015 survey conducted at the Thon Buri Special Prison in 2015 found that 36.2 per cent of inmates had mental-health problems. About 8.4 per cent suffered from depression, while another 7.8 per cent struggled with anxiety disorders, the Galya Rajanagarindra Institute found in its survey. Some 7.2 per cent of prisoners were considered at risk of suicide, while 7.7 per cent were diagnosed with psychosis.

Source:
courtesy of BANGKOK POST

by Boonruang Triruangworawat THE NATION

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