It's unanimous: no more women's prisons!
BY SEAN HEALY
SYDNEY — Prisoners' rights group Justice Action has called for the state's corrective services minister Bob Debus to abandon plans to build a new women's jail at Windsor, after the Upper House Select Committee on the Increase in Prisoner Population unanimously called for a moratorium on women's cells.
The committee received 138 submissions from a range of individuals and organisations. "Only one submission supported the building of the new jail and that was from the Department of Corrective Services", Justice Action spokesperson Kilty O'Gorman said. "This clearly shows their intention to take money to build their empire despite the system's failure. The community is now saying we want schools, hospitals and better social support, not more jails"
The group's Brett Collins said, "We call for the unanimous recommendations of the committee, including the wider use of social solutions, to be immediately implemented. Prisons have failed. They are horrendously expensive both in monetary and social terms. Now it is up to Mr Debus to ensure the community-based options are utilised."
"If Minister Bob Debus does not respect the unanimous recommendations of the Committee he is effectively negating the process of wide community consultation and logical decision outside of the law and order rhetoric", O'Gorman added.