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Objective: With increasing levels of cultural diversity, it is important that mental health services are relevant and accessible to new migrant populations. Efforts have been made to bring attention to the unique experiences and needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) sub-groups in clinical settings, resulting in various frameworks and professional development workshops. While some of these strategies have raised awareness and persuaded service providers to accommodate different populations, few are effective and genuinely impact consumer outcomes. Conclusion: This paper proposes an integrated cross-cultural assessment framework comprising both clinical and organisational components to improve cross-cultural clinical encounters and consumer satisfaction. The framework underscores the importance of the therapeutic alliance through the building of rapport and trust. Moreover, the framework is designed to be organisationally feasible, and locally and practically oriented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: A key challenge facing justice health service providers is addressing and treating the high rates of mental illness among offenders. It is well documented that rates of mental illness are substantially higher within prison populations compared to the general population. As such, the need to provide ongoing treatment to prisoners experiencing mental health issues is of fundamental importance. Prisoners experiencing mental health disorders are more likely to have poorer social outcomes on release, including a greater likelihood of recidivism and poorer health outcomes. The growing numbers of justice-involved individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds signal the need for justice systems to adapt to the changing demographic.Conclusions: In this commentary, we argue that greater efforts to explore the nature and prevalence of mental illness among CALD groups in custody, where such concerns are often intertwined with additional complex personal, environmental and historical criminogenic risk factors, are desperately needed to improve system responses and reduce recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Violence risk assessment assumes a critical medico-legal role addressing offender/patient needs and informing forensic mental health decision making. Yet questions remain over the cross-cultural applicability of such measures. In their current form, violence risk instruments may not reflect the unique life and cultural experiences of Indigenous Australians rendering them culturally unsafe.Conclusions: To realize equitable forensic assessment, it is necessary to ascertain whether there are cultural differences across risk factors for violence and that risk instruments are validated as culturally appropriate. Greater cross-cultural rigour in forensic mental health risk assessment, research and practice is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]