Jails set to expand

Media release: Jails set to expand

“Attorney General Hatzistergos’ statement that his new approach and quiet revolution in criminal justice policy is working to reduce crime and reoffending is ludicrous. His central feature creating a new sort of prisons called COSPs has been rejected by the community at Wagga Wagga. It is just a way of expanding the system whilst removing prisoners from the roll call to meet State Plan projections” said Justice Action Coordinator Brett Collins. http://tinyurl.com/yhyhge5

“Prisons are widely acknowledged as a failed instrument of criminal justice policy yet the Attorney General still keeps expanding and renaming them. Rather than “disabling” criminals as he contends, prisons cause crime by destroying the social influences on the person and the family, and incubating social problems. Crime has been lessening for many years, but the prison effect has reduced the rate of that drop” said Mr Collins. http://tinyurl.com/y99z3v7

“Community problems including mental health, drug and alcohol abuse must be handled in the community rather than festering them in expensive dungeons and trying to rebadge them to fit a political agenda. The unique lessons of social inclusion taught by the success of our penal colony past are still missed by the Attorney General in his attempt to appear tough and in control” said Mr Collins. http://www.babettesmith.com/articles.htm

JUSTICE ACTION
Trades Hall, Suite 204, 4 Goulburn St, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
PO Box 386, Broadway NSW 2007 Australia
T 612 9283 0123 | F 612 9283 0112
E ja@justiceaction.org.au
http://www.justiceaction.org.au
Brett Collins, Justice Action