IN December 2024, the Community Mental Health Australia and People with Disability Australia declared their united condemnation of the systemic failures in Australia’s mental health and justice systems and the regulated violence documented in the coroner’s report of Simon Cartwright’s death in 2021 at Silverwater jail.
The report revealed that prison guards deliberately cut off his water supply, mocked his desperate pleas for help and fudged observation records to cover up systemic torture and restrictive practices.
These inhumane acts, compounded by the glaring inadequacies in mental health supports, highlights the urgent need for comprehensive reform.
Simon Cartwright was held in isolation at the time of his death and had a documented history of severe mental health challenges.
This tragic incident is emblematic of a broader crisis: the criminalisation and neglect of individuals with psychosocial disabilities and the continued use of restrictive practices that harm and kill people with disability.
Simon Cartwright’s tragic death highlights the systemic abuse faced by individuals with mental illness.
This is not just a failure of policy but a profound human rights violation.
“State and federal governments are fully aware of the unmet needs, yet neglect, abuse, and illegal restrictive practices persist. People with psychosocial disabilities have rights, and it is imperative that these rights are upheld and realised without delay,” CMHA strategic partnerships manager Francis O’Neill said.
PWDA president Trinity Ford added: “Restrictive practices harm and kill people with disability – they are inexcusable in any setting. Australia must take urgent steps to ensure these violations are not just monitored but eradicated entirely.
“They harm and kill people with disability, as Simon Cartwright’s tragic case so painfully demonstrates.
This is not a matter of neglect; it is systemic abuse.”
Every disabled person deserves respect, dignity, and support, not violence and neglect disguised as care.
