LGBTIQ+ people are overrepresented in custodial settings and experience elevated risks to their health, safety and wellbeing while in custody and during transition back to the community. Despite this, their needs remain poorly understood and inconsistently addressed across correctional and health systems.

This webinar will present current evidence on the health experiences of LGBTIQ+ people in custodial environments and explore the implications for policy, service delivery and system reform.

People in custodial settings experience high levels of mental ill-health, trauma and unmet health need, with LGBTIQ+ people facing additional risks related to safety, discrimination, isolation and barriers to appropriate care. There is growing policy attention on correctional health, human rights obligations and the need to improve health outcomes during custody and following release.

This webinar supports LHA’s focus on improving health equity for LGBTIQ+ populations who experience multiple forms of marginalisation. It examines the role of policy and system design in addressing the health risks associated with incarceration and identifies opportunities to strengthen coordination between correctional, health and community services.

Presentation by

Dr Paul Simpson (he/him) is a Senior Research Fellow in the Justice Health Research Program at the School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, and the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Offender Health. His research focuses on the health and wellbeing of people involved in the justice system, with particular interests in marginalisation, violence, sexual and infectious disease in custodial settings, and the ethical and policy challenges shaping correctional health.