In April, the Uniting Church Synod of NSW and ACT discussed concerns about the Better Prisons Initiative, announced in March by NSW Corrections Minister David Elliott and Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin. The announcement signalled the government’s intention to invite private operators to tender to run more prisons in NSW.
A paper presented to Synod assessed available research, and argued that this change could undermine the accountability and transparency of prison management – at potential cost to the human rights of prisoners, especially marginalised groups over-represented in prison populations.
The paper cited a Sydney University study which found a lack of accountability from the two existing private prisons in NSW, with limited information on their operations publicly available. The NSW Government, it pointed out, has been reluctant to make provider contracts available for public scrutiny, citing commercial-in-confidence requirements.
The Synod paper looked at research comparing privately and publicly-run prisons in Australia and overseas, and found that privately-run prisons had a conflict of interest between quality of care and shareholder profits. While generally complying with minimum standards, they had lower staff levels, employed less experienced staff and failed to provide adequate levels of staff training.
These concerns were further highlighted in May, when the minister announced a proposal to privatise the NSW Prison Education Service. Teachers and other critics argue that this will cut the number of qualified teachers in the Corrective Service by 75 per cent, replacing them with casually-employed “trainers” with lesser teaching qualifications. They say this will have a severe impact on educational standards, and risks an upturn in recidivism at a time of exploding prison population in NSW. Research shows education programs in prisons are strongly linked to reduced rates of reoffending.
Commissioner Severin has defended the proposal, telling media the teaching qualifications required would be the same as those in TAFE or other adult education institutions; that there would be a greater focus on reading, writing and job skills; and that “this is a necessary reform to help our prison population gain the education they need to build a life outside.”
Uniting Church leaders are not convinced, warning that the move toward privatisation threatens to distort the purpose and place of prisons in society – compromising care and rehabilitation in the push for commercial profits.
Church leaders want the government to either provide good evidence that privately-run prisons and their services can deliver the same standard of care as publicly-run institutions, and build in adequate transparency safeguards – or to stop the privatisation push.
Discussions within the church are continuing.
