Page 2208 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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in corrections management. In summary, the findings relate to the separation of remand and sentenced detainees; the induction regime; out of cell hours and managing cohorts; telephone, email and visits; dedicated cultural space areas for detainees; the care and treatment of women detainees, specifically those remanded; and ACT Corrective Services policies.
It has been a year since the on-site component of the review was conducted at the AMC. Since that time, ACT Corrective Services has implemented a range of policy changes that have addressed many of the issues raised in the report. ACT Corrective Services has carefully considered all of the findings made in the report. Today I am tabling the ACT government response to the report. It addresses each of the 39 findings and notes the government position on those findings, and indicates actions and time frames for the completion of actions being undertaken, where appropriate.
Establishing an Inspector of Correctional Services was a commitment of the government in response to recommendation 8 of the Moss review, following the death in custody of Steven Freeman at the AMC in 2016. A number of reviews, including the Moss review, have recognised that effective independent oversight is vitally important to maintain public confidence in our correctional system. These reviews include the 2007 human rights audit of the operation of ACT correctional facilities under corrections legislation; the 2016 justice and community safety standing committee’s inquiry into the Auditor-General’s report on the rehabilitation of male detainees; and the 2016 Morison security review.
Following the Moss review, and in recognition of the unique make-up of the ACT’s correctional system and increasing population pressures, the ACT government committed to establishing an external and independent Inspector of Correctional Services, intended to strengthen and improve existing oversight arrangements. The government allocated $1.661 million over four years to establish an external and independent Inspector of Correctional Services to strengthen and improve oversight arrangements.
On 30 November 2017 the ACT Legislative Assembly passed the Inspector of Correctional Services Act. This legislation established an independent inspector tasked with conducting biannual reviews of ACT adult correction facilities and, by the end of 2019, youth justice centres. The act ensures that the inspector makes these reports public unless there are public interest grounds against disclosure.
In May 2018 the government announced the appointment of Mr Neil McAllister to the role of Inspector of Correctional Services for the territory. Mr McAllister has extensive experience conducting comprehensive reviews of correctional facilities across Australia and providing clear advice to governments on ways to improve operations and policies. The office of the Inspector of Correctional Services is now fully operational and is committed to ensuring continuous improvement through its systematic and regular reviews of correctional services.
In June 2018 the inspector initiated this review under section 18(1)(b) of the Inspector of Correctional Services Act. This section of the act provides that the inspector must examine and review a correctional service at least once every two years. This
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