After several years of gross mismanagement in ACT corrections the sight of prisoners on the roof of the AMC was as predictable as is it is unacceptable, Shadow Corrections Minister, Jeremy Hanson, said today.
Since the jail opened there has been grumbling from both staff and prisoners about the way the jail has been mismanaged and belies Labor’s claim of a ‘human rights compliant jail’.
“The reason why prisoners were on the roof, how they got there, and what information was received by prison management leading up to this incident are all questions that will need to be answered in full by the Minister,” Mr Hanson said.
“The situation is starkly similar to last year’s Belconnen Remand Centre stand-off, and the BRC was shut-down as it was deemed a ‘deplorable facility’. (ACT Labor press release, 1/5/09).
The list of failures in Simon Corbell’s management of corrections is extensive and his inability to competently manage this sensitive portfolio is clear.
“The jail has been operational for over a year and the community can no longer accept excuses about ‘teething problems’.
“It is clear that after a litany of security breaches, a damming report from a unanimous Assembly Inquiry, a death in custody, allegations of inadequate rehab programs and staffing, drugs, razor blades and needles being smuggled into the jail, and internet breeches - the jail would appear to be simply not functioning properly.
“This is after extensive delays and cost blowouts - the ACT taxpayer spent $130 million on this jail and continues to pay $500 a day per prisoner, almost twice what was promised. The Government excuses this figure as the cost of maintaining a ‘human rights’ compliant prison but the sight of prisoners protesting on the roof about their treatment suggests some serious questions must be answered.
“Enough is enough. I fear that under the current mismanagement of Simon Corbell it is only a matter of time before further we see further serious incidents like this.
“The Minister has some significant questions to answer and needs to immediately assure the community that millions spent by taxpayers is producing what was promised,” Mr Hanson said today.
