Led by Dr. Rohan Borschmann, this research is the first published evidence worldwide documenting the elevated incidence of ambulance attendances resulting from self-harm in a sample of adults following release from prison. It was published this month in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Researchers interviewed 1325 adults immediately prior to being released from prison, and used linked administrative data to follow them up after their release. The study was led by Professor Stuart Kinner from the Centre for Adolescent Health, and the findings featured in an article in the Guardian this month. “People who end up in prison have typically have very complicated lives, and the presence of multiple problems – such as mental health problems, substance use problems, and educational disengagement – is normative”, explains Dr. Borschmann. “We found that people who had been released from prison were presenting to the emergency department following self-harm at a rate ten times higher than the general population.” Amongst those presenting, he says, there was an over-representation of women, Indigenous people, and those with a history of mental disorder. “This highlights the need for a coordinated treatment plan starting prior to prison release and spanning the reintegration period.”