Not the prisoners’ fault

The Tasmanian Government has spent a lot of time and effort during the last few years spinning on and on about the benefits of the looming redevelopment of Risdon Prison, but Criminolgist Rob White has recently alleged that the new prison will not solve most of the current problems in Risdon.

Issues like appalling food quality, lack of treatment programs, lack of employment, lack of rehabilitation, the over-use of solitary confinement, lack of worthwhile activity of any kind and lack of appropriate facilities and programs once the prisoner is released.

Apparently, many of these problems will not change when the new prison is built, raising a series of hard questions for this Tasmanian Government; they’ve been in power for 7 years – why have they allowed this situation to continue?; how could they spend tens of millions on a new prison building while neglecting the prisoner’s
rehabilitation and treatment?; who is actually responsible and when will they take responsibility?

The major problems in the Tasmanian prison system are not the prisoners’ fault but they are obviously harming these men and by extension, our society; a failed system that allows for regular abuses and demeaning treatment of prisoners will not give society the rehabilitated former-criminal that we hope for and expect upon release.

Things need to change. But before we get too far into the prison system, Tasmanians need to change ourselves first. For too long, we’ve viewed our prisoners through a prism that dates back to convict transportation – “they are scum, they deserve to be there and so whatever happens to them is justified.”

I guess it’s our own uniquely Tasmanian history that’s brought us to this point, but it’s patently obvious that prison policy dictated by thoughtless populism has gone too far and far too long.

The Tasmanian Liberal Party is a good example of the changes needed. They went to the 2002 state election with a policy right out of the transportation era – “if you don’t like Risdon Prison, don’t get sent there.” The Libs were roundly criticised for this policy and were subsequently thrashed within an inch of their very existence by Jim Bacon.

But they’ve now ditched that 19th century idiocy in favour of the VERY progressive suggestion to abolish short-term prison sentences in favour of intensive rehabilitation programs.

The failure by the Tasmanian Government and prison management to address systemic issues at Risdon sparked the recent siege and that failure is also a direct contributor to the awful assault revealed on the Tasmanian Times (A sickening rape ) by Vickie Douglas.

Unfortunately, it appears that the Tasmanian Government is going to scapegoat Conway Richardson for exhibiting symptoms of the failure, while studiously ignoring the actual problem itself.

It’s high time Judy Jackson admitted the Tasmanian Government’s failures and set up an INDEPENDENT review of everything and everyone involved in Tasmania’s prison system.

Yours,
Jason Lovell