which revealed allegations of the torture and mistreatment of people living with disabilities and mental illness who are locked up indefinitely by the state.Around Australia, an estimated 700 people who have been charged, but not convicted, of crimes are being detained in the forensic system.
During her investigation, Blucher entered a facility to speak to one man who's spent more than two decades in custody and remains indefinitely detained and the program also features another patient who's spent 11 years secluded in a high-security unit with only a caged outdoor area. It was something you'd expect to read decades ago in the dark times of institutionalisation and abuse of people with a disability.
They can either be detained in a facility like a prison, a secure mental health hospital or a disability facility – or allowed to live in the community with conditions. I was floored to discover that nothing had changed – despite his treatment at the FDS being found to be unlawful by the Ombudsman in a report that was tabled in parliament.
Both ABC Investigations, who I work for, and Four Corners jumped at the idea – but we all knew it would be extremely difficult to get over the line for 45 minutes of television.I've produced quite a few stories that were hard to tell for television – but I think this one would have to be the trickiest.Luckily, I had an amazing team to work with, including producer Alex McDonald, and researchers Carla Hildebrandt and Josh Robertson.
In Queensland, the Mental Health Review Tribunal, which reviews people's forensic orders and assesses whether they're ready to go into the community, is closed to the public and journalists. Perhaps, the most compelling element for television, was securing never-before-seen CCTV footage of Adrian pacing in his outdoor caged courtyard.
He spent the next 15 years in extremely harsh prison environments – much of it without leaving his cell, and all while being a forensic patient. Our legal department had great success in last year's fantastic State Control Four Corners about public trustees.This was a huge moment for our investigation and our ability to allow forensic patients to tell their own story.
In Adrian's case, his lawyers have made a complaint to Queensland's Human Rights Commission against the state government and other bodies that they allege are complicit in Adrian's treatment.