❓ Ms. Walker questions the Attorney General about Hakea Prison's issues, citing a report indicating it's 'teetering on the edge of significant failure' despite recommendations. The Attorney General refutes claims of inaction and blames the previous government for the prison's state.
AnsweredQoN 636Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Attorney General to the Acacia Prison debrief of 21 March 2003 by the Inspector of Custodial Services, which stated that Hakea Prison, Bandyup Women’s Prison and Acacia Prison were on his alert list. I further refer to the inspector’s report of an announced inspection of Hakea Prison, tabled in this House in March 2002, which states that Hakea Prison is the unhappiest prison in the State. (1) After one year and 18 recommendations, why is Hakea maximum-security prison still considered to be teetering on the edge of significant failure? (2) In particular, can the minister advise the House whether the excessively casual drug management strategy described by the inspector in the Hakea Prison report has been improved? (3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
(1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(1) After one year and 18 recommendations, why is Hakea maximum-security prison still considered to be teetering on the edge of significant failure? (2) In particular, can the minister advise the House whether the excessively casual drug management strategy described by the inspector in the Hakea Prison report has been improved? (3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(2) In particular, can the minister advise the House whether the excessively casual drug management strategy described by the inspector in the Hakea Prison report has been improved? (3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(1) After one year and 18 recommendations, why is Hakea maximum-security prison still considered to be teetering on the edge of significant failure? (2) In particular, can the minister advise the House whether the excessively casual drug management strategy described by the inspector in the Hakea Prison report has been improved? (3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(2) In particular, can the minister advise the House whether the excessively casual drug management strategy described by the inspector in the Hakea Prison report has been improved? (3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(3) Is the minister aware that in his first year in office, not one random drug test was carried out at Hakea maximum-security prison between April 2001 and March 2002? How does he explain this? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: (1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
(1)-(3) I will answer the last question first. The information that the member has relayed to the House is simply not correct. She said that in the first year that this Government was in office not one single test was conducted at Hakea Prison. That is incorrect. Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
Ms S.E. Walker: Look at page 20 of the report - Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
Mr J.A. McGINTY: It is incorrect. The great problem that this Government inherited was the prison administration in this State; it is fair to say that it was one of the most profound failures of the former Attorney General. When this Government came to office two years ago, it inherited a demonstration of that failure in a system with prisons that were bursting at the seams with double-bunking, a record level of deaths in custody and an unacceptable level of drugs making their way into prisons. That was the result of years and years of neglect. Since this Government has been office it has put a lot of time and energy into changing the operation of prisons in this State and turning them around from the sorts of institutions they were to institutions that run at standards accepted worldwide in criminal justice and prison administration. The Government is doing that with the new women’s prison and through a series of changes that are being made to the prison system in this State. The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
The previous Government regarded it as a badge of honour and took great pride in locking up many minor offenders in the most expensive and most counterproductive way possible, and then it was surprised at the record levels of crime in this State! We are addressing the issues of women prisoners and the problems that have flowed from the previous Government’s flawed decision to privatise the prison system in this State. We are in the process of reversing those decisions and correcting all of that, which is not easy. In the five years leading up to this Government’s first year in office, the justice budget ballooned by 75 per cent. The projection for the following five years - since we have been in office - is an increase in the order of seven and a half to eight per cent. That is a dramatic turnaround in the percentage of the State’s resources spent on incarcerating criminals. We would much rather that that money be spent on more worthwhile things. We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
We are addressing the problem identified by the Inspector of Custodial Services in the casual approach to drugs at Hakea Prison. The member asked why Hakea Prison was teetering on failure. The Inspector of Custodial Services described the state of Hakea Prison - how it was left by the previous Government - as toxic. We are correcting the mistakes of the previous Government’s incompetent administration in prisons in this State.
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