Page 519 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 15 February 2017
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(i) managed equitably, with recognition of their diverse needs;
(ii) actively engaged to make positive behaviour change (inclusive of accessing intervention programs, education, vocational education and work opportunities) with the aims of preparing them for their participation in and return to the community, as well as reducing reoffending behaviour; and
(iii) where practicable, placed in correctional facilities with a regard to their community of interest and other support needs; and
(g) women in the AMC are currently disadvantaged in regard to the Government’s ability to fulfil such commitments; and
(2) calls on the Government to:
(a) outline to the Assembly what the current constraints for accommodating an increasing women’s population and an increasing men’s population are; and
(b) prepare and return to the Assembly with a plan for how any such constraints will be addressed by the last sitting day in August.
My motion relates to treatment, accommodation and opportunities for women detainees as opposed to men detainees in the Alexander Maconochie Centre. Late last year I brought a motion about security issues at the AMC. There have been ongoing breaches of security and safety concerns at our prison, including assaults and, of course, the escape of two prisoners in September last year. Today’s motion is not completely unrelated, because it also goes to the physical state of the buildings, as well as other aspects of the facility and how it operates. Today I want to address the issue regarding the disparity of opportunity and accommodation between the men and the women at the prison.
Both globally and locally there has been a significant increase in prisoner numbers, especially women. Internationally, statistics are showing a trend for an increase in women being incarcerated, with the number of women and girls in prisons increasing by 50 per cent in the past 15 years. In the ACT, the number of all adult prisoners has increased by 11 per cent since 2014. The male imprisonment rate has increased from 253 to 274 prisoners per 100,000 of the male adult population, and the female imprisonment rate has increased from 14 to 20 prisoners per 100,000 of the female adult population.
To address the increase in prisoner numbers, the government has undertaken extensive building work over the past few years to increase the number of accommodation units and beds within the AMC. But it appears that these efforts by the government to address increasing prisoner numbers at the AMC have entirely been directed towards the men. I have been advised that no additional accommodation was built for the women.
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