Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
Introduction: meanings of security Current trends in crime and imprisonment Prospects of reversing the expansion of imprisonment Performance indicators related to security Terrorism and terrorist trials and their effect on prison regimes
Introduction
Meanings of security? Narrow: means by which prisoners are contained. Broader: freedom from danger, risk etc.; safety Macquarie Dictionary. NSW DCS Mission statement: To manage offenders in a safe, secure and humane manner and reduce the risks of reoffending
Introduction
Report on Government Services 2008, Corrective services objectives are to:
Provide a safe, secure and humane custodial environment Provide an effective community corrections environment Provide program interventions to reduce the risk of re-offending
Imprisonment rates
Imprisonment rates
Imprisonment rates
International comparisons
United States 738 per 100,000 pop Russia 611 South Africa 335 New Zealand 186 United Kingdom 148 Australia 126 China 118 Canada 107 Italy 104 Germany 95 France 85 Sweden 82 Norway 66 Japan 62 Indonesia 45 India 30 Source: Walmsley, World Prison Population List, 7th edn. : www.prisonstudies.org
Prospects of reversing prison expansion: Source: N. Lacey, The Prisoners Dilemma (2008) p60
Country Imprisonment rate Per 100,000 2006 homicide rate (%) Foreign Prisoners % Co-ordination index rating (0-1)
Conservative corporatist (Co-ordinated market economies) Netherlands Italy Germany France 128 104 94 85 1.51 1.5 1.15 1.71 31.7 33.2 28.2 21.4 0.66 0.87 0.95 0.69
Social democracies (Co-ordinated market economies) Sweden Denmark Finland Norway 82 77 75 66 1.1 1.02 2.86 0.95 26.2 18.2 8.0 17.2 0.69 0.70 0.72 0.76
conversion sensationalist media coverage of the issue of conversions of prisoners to Islam prisoners to Islam and potentially to terrorist sympathies (especially in relation to Goulburn HRMU). Hard Men Turn to Islam to Cope With Jail, Goulburns super mosque, Stephen Gibbs SMH Nov 19 2005. NSW Corrective Services and the super-max jihadis Crikey 23 April 2007. Authorities fear prisoners plotting jail break during prayers ABC 23 April 2007. Inmates studying al-Qaeda manual SMH Dec 2007 Prisons terrorist breeding grounds The Age July 2006.
Conclusion
The current trends in crime -downward for many forms of crime, particularly property crime international trend eg UK all crime down 48% 1995-2007/08 Current trends in imprisonment rates steadily increasing, particularly for Indigenous people, remandees, and women.
Conclusion
Prospects of reversing the expansion of imprisonment depend at most general level on mitigation of neo-liberal political, economic and social policies - return to a politics of inclusion, social welfare provision and social solidarity. Imprisonment rates need to be consciously reduced as matter of government planning; policy and resources diverted from the custodial to welfare, educational and training programs in community settings.
Conclusion
A range of critical security issues facing prison systems best addressed by rejecting the narrow technical conception of security and focussing on agreed upon governmental objectives of :
Providing a safe, secure and humane custodial environment; Providing an effective community corrections environment; Providing program interventions to reduce the risk of re-offending.
Conclusion
In relation to terrorism the challenge is to resist the politicisation of criminal justice processes:
ensure legal rights (eg right to a fair trial) are respected through safe and humane prison conditions for terrorist suspects and indeed for all prisoners; improve domestic prison inspection mechanisms as required under the ratification of OPCAT (WA Inspectorate a good model); Comply with CAT recommendation that the State Party should review the regime imposed on detainees in super maximum prisons , in particular the practice of prolonged isolation (Rec 24). Do so within 1 year.