Ms Bronwyn Hall1, Mr Thomas Goodwin
1Forensicare, Melbourne, Australia
Biography:
Bronwyn Hall and Thomas Goodwin are Senior Neuropsychologists working in the prisons’ directorate for the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare). In this role, they work across Victoria’s custodial facilities, overseeing and completing neuropsychological assessments for consumers engaged with Forensicare’s rehabilitative programs and multidisciplinary teams during their time in prison. They specialise in working with individuals who present with complex and multifactorial presentations, delineating organic brain injuries and developmental disorders from other more acute and psychiatric factors. Both Ms Hall and Mr Goodwin also have previous and ongoing experience working with similarly complex consumers in the community.
Abstract:
People receiving forensic mental health services in prisons show elevated rates of cognitive impairment and are underrepresented in research. This has potential flow-on effects for service design and delivery for consumers in this setting. We conducted a retrospective clinical audit of the Forensicare Prison Neuropsychology Service to characterise the neuropsychological needs of referred consumers as a first step to addressing this gap in the literature and service delivery.
Between July 2023 and December 2025, 132 consumers produced interpretable cognitive data after meeting performance-validity criteria and being judged clinically credible (92% male; 73% Anglo-Australian; Mean age 37.1 years). High rates of major mental illness, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, acquired brain injury and intellectual developmental disorder were observed. Most consumers had not completed high school (74%) and mean reading accuracy was commensurate with a seventh-grade level.
The cohort’s mean Full Scale IQ fell approximately 1.5 SD below the normative sample mean (FSIQ; M = 77.6), almost equal to the commonly used threshold for identifying cognitive impairment. However, neither FSIQ nor reading level differed significantly between consumers reporting primary, incomplete secondary, or completed secondary education (both p ≥ .16). Self-reported educational attainment may therefore be a poor proxy for functional cognitive and literacy skills in this population, potentially reflecting variation in the quality of educational experiences in addition to the limitations of retrospective self-reports.
Findings highlight substantial cognitive and literacy needs that may be obscured by conventional demographic indicators. We will discuss the implications for treatment responsivity and equitable participation in legal and clinical settings.