The Sweenan Case : What John Key Could Insist On

N E W S R E L E A S E

Date: Monday, 23 March 2009
From: Asperger's Syndrome New Zealand
Re: Prime Minister's Comments To TVNZ On The Emma Sweenan Case (Nelson Autist)

Please see footer for a copy of the referring NZPA article

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The Sweenan Case : What John Key Could Insist On

Spokesperson for Asperger’s Syndrome New Zealand, John Greally, said today:

“Thanks to the Emma Sweenen incident, where a young 18 year old lady (described as having a mental age of 11 ) was kept in a Nelson Police holding cell over the weekend, our Prime Minister John Key has all the prompting he could ever need to insist that in future his officials at Police and the Courts have safe, clear directions on how to intelligently accommodate people at risk who have Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome. Failing that, the Prime Minister could at least ensure that mental health providers are ready to intelligently advise them on acceptable referral pathways and best practices.”

“The Prime Minister should not be surprised to find Autism-specific services are not available or have long been full. That does not make it conscionable to incarcerate people in senile dementia lock-ups, mental health rehabilitation houses, police holding cells, or to render them homeless – as so many have become.“

“We waited decades for it to be accepted that people with social behavioural differences like Autism and Asperger’s should not be treated as mentally ill, for a similar reason why a severe frostbite case would not be sent packing to a leprosarium.”

“Now we need to accept that these awesomely different people also have sensitivities and challenges that require a unique set of responses and recognition of their peculiar needs stemming from their different focal and sensory experience, their different intelligence and communication formats.”

“To face up to this would mean a Prime Minister putting an end to filing the issue of Autism-specific interventions in the ‘too-hard basket’, as witnessed over the last decade.”

“To face up would mean an end to feigned ignorance of the profoundly different care people on the Spectrum require – differences the Government should be aware as it funds courses to get exactly that message out to parents and professionals.”

“To face up would mean an acceptance of the considerable extra costs posed by an obvious requirement for tailored individualized care – these folk are very difficult to keep safe in the typical social situations that prevail in jails, forensic units, and other institutions, usually staffed by non-specialists.”

“The default for so long has been to passively wait for a mental health concern to conveniently appear due to deplorable long-term mismanagement of symptomology and accommodation of needs, resulting too often in serial abuse, incapacitation, and occasionally death.”

“Please John Key, use this opportunity to put us on the radar with Police and Courts, and with the rapid development of condition-specific services.”

ENDS

John Greally
(SPOKESPERSON)

ORIGINAL ARTICLE REFERRED TO:

PM looks into autistic teenager being held in police cell

March 23, 2009, 9:11 am

Prime Minister John Key is investigating a claim that an autistic teenager with the mental age of 11 is being held in a police cell after health authorities said they couldn't help her because she was not mentally ill.

Emma Sweenen, 18, has been detained in Nelson Police Station since Friday after her mother complained that she had attacked her.

She told TVNZ Emma was a danger to the public and needed professional help.

Nelson's Mental Health Unit said while Emma had behavioural problems she was not mentally ill, so was not covered by the Mental Health Act. Mr Key said he did not know the details of the case but would look into it. "It sounds pretty horrible, I'll need to get some more details on it," he told TVNZ this morning.