Page 3890 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 25 September 2019
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In closing, I again reiterate that I am not shying away from some of the difficulties the women are facing. I assure the Assembly that Corrective Services is working hard to address them. I am taking a particular interest in them because I have had those conversations I alluded to earlier and I am aware of some of those challenges. Some of them can be fixed readily; some will take a little longer.
As per my amendment, I will look forward to reporting back to the Assembly with a further statement on all the policies and procedures to support women in the AMC. There are a lot, and it would be good to provide them in a comprehensive form so that members can have access to that information. I commend the amendment circulated in my name, and I now move:
Omit all text after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“(1) notes:
(a) ACT Corrective Services acknowledges that the current use of the Special Care Centre for female detainees is not a long-term solution;
(b) that the 2017 decision to move female detainees from the women’s community centre to the Special Care Centre was the most appropriate option available due to the rapid increase in the number of female detainees;
(c) steps have been taken to improve the availability of services and supports available to female detainees, and a Women and Children Coordinator position has been created within ACT Corrective Services;
(d) that a female offenders framework is currently under development to better support women’s experience in the correctional system; and
(e) that the ACT Government is funding new programs designed to reduce offending and recidivism, including women’s housing and bail support programs, utilising a Justice Reinvestment methodology;
(2) further notes that:
(a) on 29 April 2019, there was an incident involving a male detainee and a female detainee breaching an internal perimeter fence and entering a restricted area to coordinate unauthorised contact;
(b) an internal management review to establish the circumstances surrounding the security breach was undertaken by ACT Corrective Services;
(c) ACT Corrective Services has constructed a new internal perimeter fence for the women’s compound, and undertaken further security upgrades in response to the incident;
(d) since 2017, the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) has provided additional fencing, screening and visual barriers to reduce visibility between gendered areas; and
(e) ACT Corrective Services believes this approach continues to provide a more appropriate and secure accommodation than previously considered alternatives; and
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