BY KILTY O'GORMAN
SYDNEY — The construction of a new women's prison at Windsor must be stopped.
A NSW Legislative Council committee looking into increased prison population released a report in July on issues relating to women. This committee unanimously recommended a moratorium on increasing the number of women in custody.
Eighty-five per cent of them are survivors of sexual abuse, 80% are there for non-violent crimes, around 30% are indigenous, and many are former state wards.
The committee received 138 submissions from individuals and organisations. Only one submission supported the building of the new jail, and that was from the Department of Corrective Services.
The committee's unanimous recommendations include the wider use of bail and probation hostels, transitional centres, rehabilitation facilities and residential programs; measures to meet the special needs of indigenous prisoners; and improved liaison between corrective and community services.
Just 20 minutes after this report was released, the state government announced that it would proceed with construction of the jail regardless of this report, at a cost of $42 million.
The No New Women's Jail Campaign is calling on the NSW minister for corrective services, Bob Debus, to abandon plans to build the new jail and implement the recommendations of the select committee.
A coordinator has recently been employed to campaign against the construction of the new women's prison at Windsor and to ensure that the recommendations of the committee's report are implemented.
There are two fundraisers coming up shortly for the campaign. On Sunday, September 17, "Penal Colony Revisited" a prison film show will be held at the Dendy Cinema in Martin Place at 11am.
Some of the films to be shown are Prisoners, a short film on the Prisoners Action Group; No way to forget, based on a field officer's experiences during the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody; a portion of Stir, the Bryan Brown film about the Bathurst jail riot in 1974; and Above water, a short film about a young mother jailed for social security fraud, who struggles to maintain contact with her teenage daughter. Directors, stars of the films and community representatives will be speaking.
Tickets $15 waged/$5 unwaged are available through Justice Action at 19 Buckland St, Chippendale, ph. 9281 5100 or <filmshow@justiceaction.org.au>.
"Block the Jail", a fundraising party, will be held from 6pm on Saturday, September 23, at the Clubhouse at Jubilee Park in Glebe, with bands, food and lots of fun.