Funding for mental health services at Risdon Prison has not increased in over 10 years despite a significant rise in inmate numbers, an inquest has heard.
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Chief Forensic Psychiatrist for Tasmania Aaron Groves said the prison has the same resources in place now as when a secure mental health unit near the prison, the Wilfred Lopes Centre, was opened in 2006.
The relationship between the Wilfred Lopes Centre and Risdon Prison is under examination as part of the coronial inquest into the 2016 death of 68-year-old North Hobart shopkeeper Voula Delios.
Ms Delios' killer, Daryl Royston Wayne Cook, was released from Risdon one day before her death on remission.
Cook is being detained indefinitely in a mental health facility after a jury found him not guilty of Ms Delios' murder by reason of insanity in 2018.
More from the inquest
The inquest heard on Wednesday the prison's population increased from 414 inmates in June 2008 to 681 in March 2019.
Dr Groves said the Wilfred Lopes Centre was funded to support 23 beds and 3.5 FTE staff, with one full-time psychiatrist supported by locums.
Although the centre has the capacity for 35 inmates, the semi-independent living unit is not in use because of security issues, the court heard.
Dr Groves said there was a difficulty attracting forensic mental health staff due to the "highly specialised" nature of the work.
"It's hard to attract people if they view our system as not particularly viable," Dr Groves said.
"I don't think we are an orphan in that regard. It's an Australian problem."
Dr Groves said gaining appropriately trained nursing staff, who make up half of mental health services, was also an issue.
"We have traditionally not done well to encourage people going into nursing to go straight into mental health nursing," he said.
Counsel assisting the coroner Jane Ansell questioned what impact the opening of the new Northern Prison would have on the delivery of mental health services to inmates.
"There's strains at the moment so any more would be straining further," Dr Groves said.
Cook 'completely different' on medication
After killing Ms Delios, Cook was diagnosed as having schizophrenia, substance-use disorder and mixed traits of personality disorders including antisocial and borderline personality traits.
Forensic Mental Health Services department head Leila Kavanagh met with Cook in December 2017 when preparing a report for his trial and diagnosed his mental health issues.
At this time Dr Kavanagh said "he was completely different person, on medication and off substances" as to when he had seen other medical professionals and received a variety of diagnoses since 2002.
"Many people thought he had a drug problem and personality disorder - they didn't see the mental illness," Dr Kavanagh said.
Dr Kavanagh said those with schizophrenia usually experience the same delusions stemmed from their own experience.
"Delusions don't come from nowhere," she said.
"The delusions that Cook had was that he was a knight, there was going to be a war between God and heathens and there were steps he needed to take to start that war. That was God's purpose for him.
"There's a culture aspect to it."
Dr Kavanagh said people with schizophrenia were not always violent and it was "unforeseeable" Cook would commit a violent act as the result of his delusions.
Cook 'jovial' after release
Prison Fellowship volunteer Jarred Khu told the court Cook was "fine" the day he was released from prison.
Mr Khu said he tried to visit Cook once a fortnight as part of his volunteer role, which involves providing support to inmates and their families.
When Cook was released, Mr Khu escorted him from the prison into Hobart where he was scheduled to meet with a probation officer at 11am.
"Daryl is the first [inmate] I have accompanied on release," Mr Khu said.
"He was fine, he was friendly, jovial."
The two parted ways at 10.30am with Mr Khu reminding Cook to attend his appointment, which Cook failed to attend.
The inquest before Coroner Simon Cooper continues.
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