Jail or hospital should not be the only choice for treating mental health

September 28, 2026 — 5:00am

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Desperately in need of care rather than further hardship, too many homeless, disturbed and sometimes dangerous people are being swept up by the criminal justice system – and in Sydney, magistrates are being forced to pass the buck to the hospital system.

It has become so bad recently that a clinical director at St Vincent’s Hospital has even asked a bail court to stop sending people accused of crimes to the hospital’s overwhelmed emergency department.

The Herald’s health editor, Kate Aubusson, reports exclusively that Downing Centre Local Court was informed on Monday that the hospital ED was choked with 17 people deemed by magistrates to be mentally ill or disordered. They........

© The Sydney Morning Herald