❓ The Minister for Corrective Services responds to a question regarding the Inspector of Custodial Services' report on Bandyup Women's Prison, highlighting improvements and addressing concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre.
AnsweredQoN 732Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BANDYUP WOMEN’S PRISON - REPORT BY INSPECTOR OF CUSTODIAL SERVICES
Will the minister comment on the report released today by the Inspector of Custodial Services? Ms M.M. QUIRK
Will the minister comment on the report released today by the Inspector of Custodial Services? Ms M.M. QUIRK
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and her concern with these issues. The Inspector of Custodial Services, Professor Richard Harding, today released a report that has recognised major improvements in prisoner regimes, education and services at Bandyup Women’s Prison. The number of prisoners at Bandyup has increased by 54 per cent over the past four years, which is unfortunate but is consistent with the overall escalation in female offending. However, the report identifies a quantum leap in performance since the previous inspection of the prison in 2002, citing a phenomenal effort by staff that was highly commendable. We have made major changes to the way women in custody are managed in Western Australia. Women who are able to maintain or improve family relationships while in prison, as well as gain skills that lead to employment and independent living, are much less likely to reoffend upon release. Recent developments at Bandyup include better safety and security for staff, a domestic violence resource and information program, certified educational opportunities in wholesaling, retailing and bricklaying, and after-school visit times so that mothers can maintain relationships with their children without taking children out of school. Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and her concern with these issues. The Inspector of Custodial Services, Professor Richard Harding, today released a report that has recognised major improvements in prisoner regimes, education and services at Bandyup Women’s Prison. The number of prisoners at Bandyup has increased by 54 per cent over the past four years, which is unfortunate but is consistent with the overall escalation in female offending. However, the report identifies a quantum leap in performance since the previous inspection of the prison in 2002, citing a phenomenal effort by staff that was highly commendable. We have made major changes to the way women in custody are managed in Western Australia. Women who are able to maintain or improve family relationships while in prison, as well as gain skills that lead to employment and independent living, are much less likely to reoffend upon release. Recent developments at Bandyup include better safety and security for staff, a domestic violence resource and information program, certified educational opportunities in wholesaling, retailing and bricklaying, and after-school visit times so that mothers can maintain relationships with their children without taking children out of school. Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and her concern with these issues. The Inspector of Custodial Services, Professor Richard Harding, today released a report that has recognised major improvements in prisoner regimes, education and services at Bandyup Women’s Prison. The number of prisoners at Bandyup has increased by 54 per cent over the past four years, which is unfortunate but is consistent with the overall escalation in female offending. However, the report identifies a quantum leap in performance since the previous inspection of the prison in 2002, citing a phenomenal effort by staff that was highly commendable. We have made major changes to the way women in custody are managed in Western Australia. Women who are able to maintain or improve family relationships while in prison, as well as gain skills that lead to employment and independent living, are much less likely to reoffend upon release. Recent developments at Bandyup include better safety and security for staff, a domestic violence resource and information program, certified educational opportunities in wholesaling, retailing and bricklaying, and after-school visit times so that mothers can maintain relationships with their children without taking children out of school. Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
Ms M.M. QUIRK replied: I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and her concern with these issues. The Inspector of Custodial Services, Professor Richard Harding, today released a report that has recognised major improvements in prisoner regimes, education and services at Bandyup Women’s Prison. The number of prisoners at Bandyup has increased by 54 per cent over the past four years, which is unfortunate but is consistent with the overall escalation in female offending. However, the report identifies a quantum leap in performance since the previous inspection of the prison in 2002, citing a phenomenal effort by staff that was highly commendable. We have made major changes to the way women in custody are managed in Western Australia. Women who are able to maintain or improve family relationships while in prison, as well as gain skills that lead to employment and independent living, are much less likely to reoffend upon release. Recent developments at Bandyup include better safety and security for staff, a domestic violence resource and information program, certified educational opportunities in wholesaling, retailing and bricklaying, and after-school visit times so that mothers can maintain relationships with their children without taking children out of school. Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
I thank the member for Kingsley for her question and her concern with these issues. The Inspector of Custodial Services, Professor Richard Harding, today released a report that has recognised major improvements in prisoner regimes, education and services at Bandyup Women’s Prison. The number of prisoners at Bandyup has increased by 54 per cent over the past four years, which is unfortunate but is consistent with the overall escalation in female offending. However, the report identifies a quantum leap in performance since the previous inspection of the prison in 2002, citing a phenomenal effort by staff that was highly commendable. We have made major changes to the way women in custody are managed in Western Australia. Women who are able to maintain or improve family relationships while in prison, as well as gain skills that lead to employment and independent living, are much less likely to reoffend upon release. Recent developments at Bandyup include better safety and security for staff, a domestic violence resource and information program, certified educational opportunities in wholesaling, retailing and bricklaying, and after-school visit times so that mothers can maintain relationships with their children without taking children out of school. Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
Professor Harding also raised some concerns about the Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women, which in his view is underutilised. I share some of his concerns, as I am very committed to the Boronia concept. Boronia’s success in preparing women for life beyond prison and its innovative community setting and approach were recently recognised when it received the John Curtin Medal awarded by Curtin University of Technology. I congratulate the Department of Corrective Services and its staff and also the Attorney General, a former Minister for Justice, for his vision and leadership in establishing Boronia. The concept for the centre was based on research showing that women prisoners are more successfully rehabilitated in a community setting preparing them for life beyond prison. This has proved to be the case in the two years since Boronia opened. Our challenge now is to put in place more effective transitional arrangements at Bandyup so that we can get more women into Boronia.
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