LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The latest prison data release by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the Eva Lawler Labor Government has lost control of both our streets and our prisons.
The Territory’s prison population continues to grow, increasing by 9% from 30 June 2022 to 30 June 2023.
We know that the prisons are full to the brim, and yet there are more criminals than ever before out on the streets destroying the lives of innocent Territorians.
This infrastructure debacle squarely rests on the shoulders of Lawler and her Deputy, Chansey Peach, who have neglected to devise adequate plans for our prison infrastructure.
The recent announcements regarding women’s prisons, conveniently timed on the eve of an election, merely showcase their penchant for making hollow promises they cannot fulfill.
Lawler’s decision to shut down crucial alcohol and drug rehabilitation centres and repurpose them as prisons is essentially a short-sighted robbing Peter to pay Paul scenario.
The ABS figures show around 40% of prisoners are on remand – the rapid increase in crime under Labor is blowing out timeframes for hearings and bogging down the court system.
Around 75% of NT prisoners have been in jail before, showing Labor is failing repeat offenders.
Better programs and engagement with prisoners will drive down repeat offending. Our successful Sentenced to a Job that Labor trashed, and our new Sentenced to a Skill programs for youth and adult offenders will transform lives.
Expanded work camps in communities for adults and boot camps for youths will provide strong alternative sentencing options: Compulsory alcohol rehabilitation, Sentence to a Job, leave prison job ready.
Steven Edgington, Shadow Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.
AT TOP, from left: Paech, Eddington, Lawler.
The CLP must be hoping that the abysmal outcomes of their programs like Sentenced to a Job have faded from public memory. Similarly their wasteful compulsory alcohol rehabilitation program is to be resurrected.
Have they still not learned the obvious lesson that unless inmates want to stop drinking no rehabilitation is possible?
Corrections has been running program after program for decades in the prison and recidivism has not declined. Many inmates complete their sentence with multiple certificates and diplomas but a few months later they are back again.
What are these “better programs” that will drive down repeat offending?
The CLP is well aware of all this having former prison boss Bill Yan MLA who ran the Sentenced to a Job program on their team.
Interestingly, MLA Yan has the most experience with inmate rehabilitation but is not the Shadow Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. That is hardly an endorsement of the CLP’s resurrected programs.
I’m not a fan of Jacinta Price but agree with her call for actual auditing of existing programs to find out what they are achieving with the millions they receive.