Rural Health System Resources
BY RURAL PEOPLE FOR RURAL PEOPLE
Crime Hotspot Map - New South Wales
Authors
Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
Description
How are crime statistics relevant to rural health and wellbeing? Well, we know that many of the factors that influence good health also impact on rates of crime and incarceration. For example, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are conditions that are often associated with people in the criminal justice system. Crime can also have health impacts. For example, when people feel unsafe on their community this can contribute to mental stress, or a person subject to the crime of domestic violence can end up in hospital. We also know that people who are incarcerated tend to have poorer health outcomes across their life course. Understanding how crime may be influencing community and individual health can lead communities to explore how crime prevention activities may contribute to improved community health outcomes.
Why is this useful for rural and remote people?
When preparing submissions or grant applications, it is important to have access to relevant data to make your case. Often grant programs may be about things like crime, juvenile offending or incarceration but will require a range of health or social service solutions that could support your town to grow its health and social care capacity. Understanding crime is useful for community groups to inform themselves about local issues such as domestic violence, drugs and alcohol problems etc that can contribute to poor health and social outcomes, and provide a platform to get grants that could help bring new money and capacity into existing services to keep them sustainable.