Assessing the mental health of multicultural prisoner populations: a cross-cultural comparison with culturally and linguistically diverse, Indigenous Australian and English-speaking background groups of prisoners

The Australian prison population is reflecting Australian society and becoming increasingly diverse. The most over-represented cultural group in the Australian prison system are those from Indigenous Australian backgrounds (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders). There is also increasing numbers of inmates from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in the Australian prison system. Research investigating the mental health of Indigenous Australian and culturally and linguistically diverse groups is extremely limited. This thesis increases the level of knowledge into the mental health of cross-cultural groups of prisoners in the Australian prison system.