Prisoners protest overcrowding

Conditions in South Australian prisons have been brought to light by prisoners at the Port Augusta Prison protesting on October 9.

Prisoners housed in the maximum security unit, Bluebush, took control of the unit to protest inadequate staffing and overcrowding. Prisoners spent the day on the compound's roof, holding mattresses painted with messages about overcrowding and ill-treatment at the prison.

The protest started when prison officers were diverted to supervise prisoners at the prison hospital, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled exercise session.

In an October 10 Adelaide Advertiser article, Correctional Services chief executive Peter Severin said using hospital beds to accommodate prisoners was "not unusual", even when other beds were available. "They most probably did not fit the (security) profile of prisoners that we accommodate in vacant areas", he said.

However, an increase in prisoners over the last 12 months has resulted in many cells being used to hold two or more prisoners.

According to prison officers, more prisoners are being charged with attempted murder and rape — and possessing makeshift weapons (often for self-protection) — as a result of overcrowding. Severin has denied this claim.

The conditions in SA prisons are a direct result of the government's overly punitive stance on crime. Since being elected in 2005, the ALP government has prided itself on its "law and order" platform. State treasurer Kevin Foley stated recently that he would "rack 'em, pack 'em and stack 'em" in order to put even more people in jail.

There have been recent calls from prominent legal and community bodies for reports on the state of SA prisons, particularly Yatala Labour Prison and the Adelaide Women's Prison.

One such report was commissioned by the Law Society of South Australia's Human Rights Committee last year. The report declared a "crisis" in the prison system and called for independent inquiries into sentencing, bail and parole systems.

It said that the inquiry should cover Indigenous issues, mental health, juvenile justice, education, rehabilitation and drug treatment facilities. The report also focussed on Australia's obligations under international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' section on political and civil rights. It pointed out several areas where SA does not comply and was damning of the overcrowding in SA prisons.

A recent amendment included reference to the protests at Port Augusta and was scathing of the fact that the state government had been warned of the precarious situation of the prison in May and had refused to act.

The government's approach to crime is clearly not working. A humane system that deals with the causes of crime needs to be put in place.

From GLW issue 771