❓ Mr. Francis questions the Minister for Corrective Services on improvements in prisoner treatment programs following significant investment in new prisons. The Minister highlights increased program participation compared to the previous government and focuses on rehabilitation efforts.
AnsweredQoN 98Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
PRISONER TREATMENT PROGRAMS
98. Mr J.M. FRANCIS to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I understand that the Liberal–National government has
invested heavily in building new prisons, with a $655 million capital works
program to address the chronic underfunding of prisons by the previous
government. Can the minister inform the house of the dramatic improvement in
the delivery of treatment programs designed to reduce the likelihood of
prisoners reoffending once they are released from prison?
98. Mr J.M. FRANCIS to the Minister for Corrective
Services:
I understand that the Liberal–National government has
invested heavily in building new prisons, with a $655 million capital works
program to address the chronic underfunding of prisons by the previous
government. Can the minister inform the house of the dramatic improvement in
the delivery of treatment programs designed to reduce the likelihood of
prisoners reoffending once they are released from prison?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Jandakot for the question. He has an
ongoing interest in these matters because there is a prison in his electorate.
Clearly the member wants to understand the challenges that we face and the very
good work that the Liberal–National government is doing in this space.
There is no doubt that the prison population is rising, and the Liberal–National
government makes no apologies for being tough on crime. There is an expectation
from the community that we will be tough and it is an expectation that this
government is delivering on. The significant capital investment we are putting
into prisons is our strategy to respond to the issues of prison infrastructure
in Western Australia. The $665 million program is a significant program.
Mr
D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, if you are going to practice ventriloquism in this place,
I suggest you rehearse it outside before you come in here. I formally call you
for the second time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Once that program is fully delivered, there will be an extra 2 500 beds in our
prison system. The point I want to make in response to the question is that we
are not simply putting in prisoners and warehousing them. It is not as simple
as that. We have an equal focus on investing in programs in prisons. I think it
is a really important point to note that in 2007–08, during the last
year of the previous government, 869 prisoners were participating in intensive
programs, including programs for addictions, sexual offending, violent
offending and cognitive skills. The strong focus by this government has meant that
in the first quarter of this financial year, 599 prisoners took part in such
programs. That is nearly 600 in just three months compared with 869 for the
whole final year of the program of the last Labor government. Our target is to
have an extra 2 500 programs within our prison system. We are focusing on
putting the effort into our prison system to ensure that when the prisoners get
out, they will have every chance of making a positive contribution to society
and hopefully will not make their way back into the prison system. We also have
seen the significant amount of unmet demand in prison programs go down by
putting in place programs in prisons right across Western Australia. Last year
the Department of Corrective Services implemented a new model for program
delivery that was rolled out across the state. Eight service delivery teams
across WA managed programs in prisons and in the community, according to the
local needs. I also highlight that the department is improving the delivery of
Aboriginal-specific programs in prisons. We all know that the Indigenous
community is grossly over-represented in our prison system and therefore it is
very appropriate that we target programs to respond to that. For example, there
was a trial of an Indigenous sex offending program at Greenough Regional Prison
last year. All those things help us to target what we need to do in prisons by
providing programs to ensure that once prisoners get out of the prison system,
we make every effort to keep them out of prison and help them make a
contribution to society. Although the Liberal–National government has a
tough focus on crime, which we make no apology for, we do not simply warehouse
prisoners. We ensure every effort is put into programs in the prison system.
The numbers speak for themselves. It far outweighs what happened in the last
year of the former government. At least we can stand on our record in the
prison system, which the last government never ever did.
ongoing interest in these matters because there is a prison in his electorate.
Clearly the member wants to understand the challenges that we face and the very
good work that the Liberal–National government is doing in this space.
There is no doubt that the prison population is rising, and the Liberal–National
government makes no apologies for being tough on crime. There is an expectation
from the community that we will be tough and it is an expectation that this
government is delivering on. The significant capital investment we are putting
into prisons is our strategy to respond to the issues of prison infrastructure
in Western Australia. The $665 million program is a significant program.
Mr
D.A. Templeman interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, if you are going to practice ventriloquism in this place,
I suggest you rehearse it outside before you come in here. I formally call you
for the second time today.
Mr D.T. REDMAN :
Once that program is fully delivered, there will be an extra 2 500 beds in our
prison system. The point I want to make in response to the question is that we
are not simply putting in prisoners and warehousing them. It is not as simple
as that. We have an equal focus on investing in programs in prisons. I think it
is a really important point to note that in 2007–08, during the last
year of the previous government, 869 prisoners were participating in intensive
programs, including programs for addictions, sexual offending, violent
offending and cognitive skills. The strong focus by this government has meant that
in the first quarter of this financial year, 599 prisoners took part in such
programs. That is nearly 600 in just three months compared with 869 for the
whole final year of the program of the last Labor government. Our target is to
have an extra 2 500 programs within our prison system. We are focusing on
putting the effort into our prison system to ensure that when the prisoners get
out, they will have every chance of making a positive contribution to society
and hopefully will not make their way back into the prison system. We also have
seen the significant amount of unmet demand in prison programs go down by
putting in place programs in prisons right across Western Australia. Last year
the Department of Corrective Services implemented a new model for program
delivery that was rolled out across the state. Eight service delivery teams
across WA managed programs in prisons and in the community, according to the
local needs. I also highlight that the department is improving the delivery of
Aboriginal-specific programs in prisons. We all know that the Indigenous
community is grossly over-represented in our prison system and therefore it is
very appropriate that we target programs to respond to that. For example, there
was a trial of an Indigenous sex offending program at Greenough Regional Prison
last year. All those things help us to target what we need to do in prisons by
providing programs to ensure that once prisoners get out of the prison system,
we make every effort to keep them out of prison and help them make a
contribution to society. Although the Liberal–National government has a
tough focus on crime, which we make no apology for, we do not simply warehouse
prisoners. We ensure every effort is put into programs in the prison system.
The numbers speak for themselves. It far outweighs what happened in the last
year of the former government. At least we can stand on our record in the
prison system, which the last government never ever did.
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