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DEVELOPMENTS IN CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMMES

1983

COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMMES

DEVELOPMENTS IN CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMMES, 1983

Community Based Programmes

Community Service Orders

Parole of Prisoners Act

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Pamphlets l

Job Training for Unemployed Periodic Detainees 2

Probation and Parole Service 2

Alternatives to Imprisonment for Fine Defaulters 2

Bail Assessment and Supervision Programme 3

Administration

Industrial Relations 5

Growth of In-Service Courses for Staff 5

Capital Works Programme 5

Corporate Plan and Aims for the Prison System 5

Research Projects 6

Computerisation 6

Custodial Services

Mulawa Women's Prison

Mothers and Babies

Parklea Prison

New Women's Prison

Malabar Psychiatric Unit

Redeveloped Bathurst Gaol Re-Opened

Mixed Staffing in Prisons

Rationalisation of Prisons

Plans for Parramatta Gaol

Detection of Drugs and Special Searches

Prison Industries

Ethnic and Aboriginal Prisoners

Release on License

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l.

Community Service Orders:

Community Service Orders were introduced three years

ago to permit courts the option of sentencing offenders

to perform a set number of hours of community work as

an alternative to imprisonment. The

rapidly into 35 areas of the State.

scheme has expanded

Since 1980, the

courts have issued a total of 2,440 Community Service

Orders. Offenders have been engaged in a wide varie·ty

of work to make reparation to the community. In the

next four months, it is planned to extend the scheme

to 15 additional areas.

Parole of Prisoners Act:

A major review of this Act is now finalised and the

necessary legislation will be presented to Parliament

in the coming Budget Session.

Pamphlets:

A series of information pamphlets on each of the

State's prisons is being produced. The pamphlets,

which are aimed mainly at the families and friends

of prisoners, will provide details of such important

matters as visiting hours and conditions, telephone

calls, mail, and counselling and guidance services.

They provide an insight into conditions in each

of the institutions by outlining work available

to inmates, medical facilities, and other day to

day matters as contained in the attached pamphlet

concerning Mulawa Training and Detention Centre.

2.

Job Training for Unemployed Periodic Detainees:

A major change to the Periodic Detention Scheme

has been made with the introduction of a mid-week

programme which began on 4th May 1983 at the Silverwater

Periodic Detention Centre, to teach unemployed detainees

skills to help them find work. In a series of class­

room sessions, detainees are instructed in finding

employment, managing money, improving relationships,

improving communication, drug and alcohol abuse,

attaining work skills and seeking help when problems

arise.

Probation and Parole Service:

In order to cope with a major shift in resources,

the Probation and Parole Service has been allocated

an additional 45 staff from positions retrieved

elsewhere in the organisation. This has been prompted

by the rapid growth in the Community Service Order

Scheme, the introduction of the Release on License

Programme, the Bail Assessment and Supervision Programme,

and the extension of the Drug and Alcohol Court

Assessment Programme.

Alternatives to Imprisonment for Fine Defaulters:

Fine defaulters previously sent to prison to work

out their fines may now be detained at the Salvation

Army's ''Miroma" Mancare Centre at St. Peters. The

scheme, a joint project of the Salvation Army and

the Department of Corrective Services, was established

early this year and has been expanded to accommodate

500 fine defaulters per annum. Negotiations are

under way to extend the scheme to the western areas

of Sydney (St. Marys), and at least one other major

centre (Newcastle) in the near future.

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Bail Assessment and Supervision Programme:

Advice for prisoners intending to apply for bail

at Waverley Court of Petty Sessions or the Supreme

Court is now available through a scheme, known as

the Bail Assessment and Supervision Programme, which

is operated by the Probation and Parole Service

at the Metropolitan Remand Centre, Long Bay. The

scheme began operation in January 1983. Two-thirds

of bail applicants interviewed in the scheme have

been granted bail by the courts. After evaluation,

the programme may be extended to other gaols.

4.

ADMINISTRATION

5.

Industrial Relations:

Improved industrial relations has been a feature of

the Department's operations in the past 12 months.

Close consultation between the Corrective Services

Commission and union executives has resulted in

agreement on a number of sensitive issues, including

mixed staffing of prisons, transfer of staff and

sick leave.

Growth of In-Service Courses for Staff:

The scope of in-service and special training courses

has been broadened in the Department. These now

range from primary training courses for prison officers

to seminars for prison superintendents.

Capital Works Programme:

A capital works programme which has been completed

identifies the long-term use of prisons. Apart from

the new Parklea maximum security gaol opening later

this year, there is large scale redevelopment planned

for Goulburn Training Centre, Grafton Gaol, the Long

Bay Complex of Prisons, and Parramatta Gaol. A new

women's prison is being planned and a high priority

is given to the construction of a medical and

psychiatric hospital at Long Bay.

Corporate Plan and Aims for the Prison System:

A Corporate Plan has been developed to provide a

co-ordinated view of the broad direction that the

Department is likely to take as well as to set a

range of specific goals to activate this process.

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The organisation's goals have been divided into:

diversion programmes (alternatives to imprisonment);

custodial; post-custodial supervision; and support.

The Corporate Plan was developed after extensive

consultation with the Heads of the Department's

Branches. The proposals have been made available

to all employees of the Department for their consideration.

Research Projects:

Work has continued on a number of major research projects,

including those on prison officers' health, the initial

training of prison officers and its impact on their

relationships with prisoners, and an evaluation of pilot

pre-release programmes. In addition, the Department has

taken part in the first national census of prisoners.

Computerisation:

Significant computerised systems have been introduced

or are at an advanced state of development. These

include: case load management statistics for the

Probation and Parole Service; word processing facilities

at Head Office; prisoner accounting and canteen

purchases at Long Bay; calculation of prisoner remissions

and dates of release; and monitoring of building projec·ts.

The Department plans to introduce an on-line computerised

offender records system. This will involve computer

terminals being installed at each gaol and probation

and parole offices. It is expected that tenders for

the supply and installation of this system will be

sought by the end of 1983 with the first phase becoming

operational at Long Bay by mid-1984.

7.

CUSTODIAL SERVICES

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Mulawa Women's Prison:

A major re-organisation of the administration of Mulawa

Training and Detention Centre has been undertaken.

Mixed staffing has been introduced, and extensive

re-organisation and renovation of administrative

offices and a number of facilities for inmates are

in progress. A thorough overhaul of the prison's

records, procedures, and routine has also been carried

out. A segregated area has been set aside for low­

risk prisoners while they wait for transfer to the

minimum security Norma Parker Centre at Parramatta.

Mothers and Babies:

Modifications have been made to two brick cottages

outside the perimeter fence of Mulawa prison to

accommodate mothers and babies. The mothers and

babies were previously housed inside Mulawa in a

building considered unsuitable for this purpose.

The two cottages are almost ready to be occupied.

Parklea Prison:

The new maximum security prison at Parklea, on the

outskirts of Sydney, is expected to be ready for

occupation later this year. The final estimated

cost of the prison, which will house 220 prisoners,

is $38 million. Completion of the project will

help relieve overcrowding in the State's maximum

security gaols.

New Women's Prison:

In accord with a decision of the Government to build

a new women's prison, the Department is currently

negotiating for the purchase of a suitable site

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for the new gaol. Preliminary discussions on the

needs of the Department for a new women's prison

has taken place and a full range of services is

planned, i.e., maximum security through to minimum

security, with provision of special facilities for

mothers and babies.

Malabar Psychiatric Unit:

The Observation Section at Long Bay, which was used

for many years to accommodate mentally distrubed

prisoners, has been closed and the buildings demolished.

A refurbished section of the Metropolitan Reception

Prison at Long Bay, staffed jointly by medical personnel

from the Department of Health and prison officers,

has been opened to provide up-to-date psychiatric

care for these prisoners while construction of a

replacement Observation Section, expected to cost

$500,000, is in progress.

Redeveloped Bathurst Gaol Re-opened;

At a total cost of $12.1 million, the maximum security

section of Bathurst Gaol, which was nearly totally

destroyed during prisoner riots in 1974, has been

re-opened to accommodate 209 prisoners. More than 100

inmates already occupy the maximum security section.

The medium security section, known as X-Wing, is presently

undergoing major renovation at an estimated cost of

$600,000.

The redevelopment of Bathurst Gaol and the construction

of Parklea Prison will virtually eliminate overcrowding

in the State's maximum security prisons. The most

significant aspect of the redeveloped prison in

the provision of separate units accommodating an average

of 16 prisoners. This will facilitate more intensive work

with prisoners consistent with the work at the Special

Care Unit (Metropolitan Reception Prison, Long Bay) and

the Programmes Unit at the Metropolitan Remand Centre

(Long Bay).

10.

Mixed Staffing in Prisons:

Mixing of male and female officers has been introduced

at two prisons. Sixteen male officers, including

the Deputy Superintendent, began duty last March

at Mulawa Women's Prison, while eight female officers

are employed in

Bathurst Gaol.

the maximum security section of

Following discussions between the

unions and the Corrective Services Commission, mixed

staffing was introduced on the present scale. It

is intended that mixed staffing will be introduced

where appropriate on a progressive basis in other

gaols.

Rationalisation of Prisons:

An extensive survey has been conducted into staffing

and the rationalisation of the security rating of

prisons throughout the State. As part of the Prisons

Management Plan, three institutions - Narrabri Gaol,

Kirkconnell Afforestation Camp, and Newnes Afforestation

Camp - were closed. Inmates and staff were transferred

to other prisons. A total of 105 prison officer

positions, which were filled on a full-time overtime

basis, were abolished or substituted for positions

deleted elsewhere in the Service. A review of overtime

has resulted in a reduction from 36,000 hours per

fortnight in 1981/82 to a present fortnightly level

of 23,000 (a reduction of 36%). Re-organisation

of resources has also meant that 70% of staff required

to man the new maximum security Parklea Prison will

come from officers already employed in the Service.

The changes in prisons have resulted in an increase

in accommodation for medium security prisoners.

Plans for Parramatta Gaol:

When Parklea Prison is opened it is planned to progressively

redevelop and renovate Parramatta Gaol, the oldest

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existing prison in New South Wales. It is planned

to use the renovated gaol as a remand and reception

prison for the western areas of Sydney. During

the renovations, part of the gaol will be sealed­

off and evacuated, while the remainder will continue

to house remand prisoners.

Detection of Drugs and Special Searches:

Extensive and constant searches of prisons are carried

out by officers to detect drugs and other illicit

items. With the aid of trained officers and dogs,

staff search cells, visiting areas, prisoners' work

places and all other areas of prisons. This type

of searching recently uncovered what officers believe

was a carefully planned attempt by a number of prisoners

to escape from Parramatta Gaol by taking hostages. During

searching, a makeshift gun and a quantity of ammunition

were found.

Prison Industries:

Additional work is being provided for prisoners

in a number of large-scale industrial projects.

Five workshops are being built at Parklea Prison.

They will be the most modern and well-equipped

prison workshops in Australia. At Bathurst Gaol,

five industrial workshops will shortly be opened

and a further workshop is under construction.

With all prison industries proper consideration is

given to ensure these activities do not erode

opportunities in the outside work force. It is

also proposed to modify the inmate bonus payment system.

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to provide a more positive work incentive for prisoners.

Emphasis is to be placed on the establishment of

a bakery in the metropolitan area and orchards and

vegetable production at other gaols.

A Board of Directors of Prison Industries has been

established under the chairmanship of the Chairman

of the Corrective Services Commission. The Board,

comprised of the senior officers of the Department

of Corrective Services, and representatives of other

Government and non-Government organisations, reviews

the performance of prison industries and advises

the Department of policy with regard to these industries.

Ethnic and Aboriginal Prisoners:

A number of initiatives have taken place to improve

the care of ethnic and Aboriginal prisoners. These

initiatives include research into the cultural and

language background of Asian inmates in order to

improve interpreter services; an initial inquiry

into the migrant status of prisoners and enforcement

of deportation orders; intensified liaison with

consulates to ensure adequate protection of non­

Australian prisoners; and liaison with Aboriginal

communities for post-release care of Aboriginal

prisoners.

13.

RELEASE ON LICENSE

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Since February 1982, a programme involving the release

on license under the provisions of Section 463 of the

Crimes Act, No. 40, 1900, has been in operation, and

has developed to a stage where all prisoners are systematically

reviewed to determine if they should be released from

prison.

The release on license is a very constructive and positive

programme which requires correctional officers, whether

they are custodial, professional, or in the Probation

and Parole area, to more carefully assess prisoners and

sift out those who may even be damaged by further detention.

It also requires correctional officers to determine the

optimum time for release and the scheme offers substantial

hope for prisoners.

The release of prisoners is not undertaken lightly.

Their performance in prison, their prospects of survival

in the community, and the nature of their offence, are

all taken into consideration. The highest concentration

has been on those prisoners who are in prison for the

first time.

The Indeterminate Sentence Committee has also been reviewing

all life sentence and Governor's Pleasure prisoners who

have spent long periods in gaol and are capable of resuming

productive, useful lives in the community.

Individual assessments are all reviewed by the Chairman

of the Corrective Services Commission before being submitted

to me, and then, if appropriate, to the Governor. They

are all subject to close supervision in the community

by the Probation and Parole Service, and must report

and ac~ept regular supervision until their sentence expires.

If they breach the conditions of their license, their

license is automatically revoked, resulting in their

return to prison for the remainder of their sentence,

without recourse to any appeal system.

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So far, a total of 1,071 (including 107 life sentence

and Governor's Pleasure prisoners) have been released

under this scheme. The success rate has been 94%. The

numbers released are only 30% of those who have applied

or been considered for release under the scheme.

The release on license scheme, to an extent, has maintained

evidence of good faith on behalf of this Government.

The Probation and Parole legislation in this State has

been under review since 1979, and prisoners have been

constantly aware that substantial changes allowing remission

on the non-parole period are likely to occur. I believe

that the release on license programme is extremely worth­

while and is one of the most progressive developments

in correctional services in this country. Whilst it

will be substantially overtaken by the proposed legislation,

if accepted, there will still need to be provision for

release on license in exceptional cases.

The foregoing brief outline of developments in correctional

programmes in the last twelve months indicates the continuing

emphasis on reform and identifies the need to persist

with the development of community-based services and

programmes.

These achievements have been recognised by other States,

and at a recent conference in Hobart, considerable interest

was shown to developments in New South Wales, and a number

of Ministers of correctional services in other States

indicated a determination to emulate some of the progressive

programmes initiated in New South Wales.

R. F. JACKSON, M.P.,

Minister for Corrective Services.