Keep Prisons in Public Hands

Making corporate profits from punishment is unethical. Convicted criminals are removed from society to protect public safety, deter others and to be rehabilitated, not to be fodder for corporate profit. The government has an obligation to run the

prisons system in the best  interests of society.

The prisons system should be part of a comprehensive strategy to deliver a safe community, including providing the services that  prisoners need to

minimise the risk of them re-offending when they leave prison. The government also has a responsibility to ensure a safe working environment for prison

officers and a safe living environment for prisoners.

Privatising prisons is selling out that obligation.

The NSW Greens have argued in the state parliament that the government should not  proceed with privatising the state’s prisons. The Greens have initiated a parliamentary inquiry into the costs to prison officers, to prisoners and to the community of privatising prisons.

Despite his anti-privatisation stance when is came to electricity, John Robertson did an about-face and supported the privatisaiton of prisons. Currently in NSW we have two privatised prions, Junee and Parklea.

Sylvia Hale continues to work with both prison officers and prisoner advocate groups to monitor private prisons and to work towards returning the privatised ones to public sector control and accountability.

For more information go to: http://www.stopthecelloff.org.au