100% OF PRISONERS REJECT NSP SAYS PRISONER AID VETERAN
In a submission to Katy Gallaghers inquiry into the establishment of a Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) a senior Prisoner Aid official has said that 100% of prisoners he has spoken in the last 12 months have rejected plans for an NSP.
With overwhelming opposition to an NSP from both staff and prisoners at the jail, the question now for Katy Gallagher is who directly involved in the prison is supportive of NSP program? Shadow Corrections Minister Jeremy Hanson asked today.
The submission to the inquiry was made by Bill Aldcroft OAM, JP, who has worked with prisoners for over 20 years as both an official visitor to ACT detention centres and for the last 12 years as a Prisoner Aid Court Councillor.
His submission outlined the referral of over 150 prisoners who have visited his office in the past 12 months, all of whom had served for at least six months.
In his submission he states that;
I have consistently to ask the following question without elaboration: What is your opinion of the proposal to open a needle exchange in the AMC. I can inform you, without exception, that the replies have been expressed firmly in the negative from every single person I have interviewed.
Mr Aldcroft goes further in his submission to question previous surveys on an NSP conducted at the jail, suggesting they may have been conducted in a way that pre-ordained the results of the surveys.
Corrections officers dont want an NSP, prisoners dont want an NSP and the former Superintendant claims to have been pushed because he opposed an NSP. Now we have claims that previous NSP surveys have been pre-ordained, Mr Hanson said.
This is ideology from Katy Gallagher over common sense. I implore her to listen to the prisoners, listen to the staff, listen to Mr Aldcroft and stop her push for an NSP, Jeremy Hanson said.
