The Construction of More Prisons in Australia
Historical Context:
Many prisons in Australia were built by convict labour in the 1800s. During the 1990s various state governments in Australia engaged private sector correctional corporations to build and operate prisons whilst several older government run institutions were decommissioned. Operation of federal detention centres was also privatised at a time when a large influx of illegal immigrants began to arrive in Australia.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison
– For a full list of the various locations and information on individual prisons, please refer to the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_prisons
Our Position:
Justice Action is against recent government proposals to develop new correctional centres across the country. Prisons merely breed more crime; we are of the view that funds used to construct new correctional facilities should be redirected towards important community needs such as education, health, post release programs, public housing, transport, and rehabilitation facilities across the country. Spending money in these areas would provide community service opportunities as an alternative to incarceration.