The wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is perceived holistically and encompasses the mental, physical, cultural and spiritual health of Indigenous people. This view of health considers the relationships between family, kin, community and the importance of connection to land, spirituality and ancestry (Gee et al. 2014; Palmer 2013). This means that the wellbeing of the community and family is related to the social and emotional wellbeing of the individual.
Improving the mental health of Indigenous Australians who have contact with the criminal justice system can be especially challenging because the nature of imprisonment removes offenders
from their land, community and family. International evidence shows that concerns of Indigenous prisoners often relate to issues of being isolated from family, land and community as well as a lack of access to cultural activities (Grant 2016). Services should take this holistic view of health into account when supporting Indigenous Australians (PM&C 2017).