Friday, July 18, 2003

Yatala Labour Prison Adelaide Going Backwoods

I'm a prisoner in south Australia (Adelaide), Yatala Labour Prison, I'm 39 years old with only two and a half years spent in the community since the age of 13. I came into the adult prison system in 1985; I was released in 1998 only to re-offend. I'm now doing 30 years with a 16-year non-parole period, as it's truth in sentencing in our state and there is no remission. My release date is 2016.

I am writing to you due to having no assistance in our state concerning prisons and civil rights groups, our states prison system is so far out of control and prisoners here are being treated the worst I've ever seen in all my years of imprisonment. I will just run off a few things to give you an idea of what I mean. Prisoners cannot have their own computers they were taken off us in 1999 after one prisoner misused his.

Prisoners cannot use the computers in the education centre for any personal letters or any legal work. The prison gives us a typewriter to share between 70 prisoners and only can get to use it for a few days in a row. There is no legal books or access to law on disk; the education has Internet however no prisoners can get to use it. Only the staff uses it and will only look something up if you're doing a correspondence course, (which only a small privilege few can do).

For example I started my HSC three and a half years ago and I still have not finished it. This is due to the amount of time I can get access to a PC. In B division in Yatalar prison we get three days a week, on those days we get one to one and a half-hours in the education centre. This equals 3-4 hours a week, however now they have made rules that unless you're enrolled into a course you can't go.

I have chronic pain disability that dose not allow me to write with a pen, and over the years I have become illiterate, unless I have a spell checker so it is difficult to communicate with others.

The prison will not allow prisoners to buy vitamins or health products.

The prison system uses collective punishment to take away hobbies and art materials.

They have now started to take punching bags out of the system.

Prisoners cannot buy food in tins or glass, as well as any food out of what they sell from the canteen which, is confectionary products usually lollies.

Prisoners cannot have a tape recorder, only a Walkman, only a tape or CD not both. Prisoners earn $12 a week and most pay court levies reducing that amount to $9 a week so we cannot afford to buy toiletries let alone CD's or smokes.

The prison is in breach of the prisons act not giving sentenced prisoners employment and education. They give it to remand prisoners. In this division which I've spent four years so far there is 140 prisoners with 15 jobs that remand prisoners seem to get.

There are no consistent rules and prisoners who enter the prison have to wait up to two months before they get a television sent in. The property store loses and break just about everyone's stuff and the prison won't take responsibility. To receive any property can take weeks and the manager will not improve this area.

The State Government have just gone tough on law and order also have made new changes to the parole board, making it harder for prisoners to be released, having to prove they are rehabilitated but they have taken all the core programs out of the system.

Prisoners in this state get 12 months at the end of their sentence to get prepared for release. This discriminates as someone who has 2-3 years gets that compared to someone who has served 5 years and over. I served 13 years last sentence and they gave me 3 months pre release.

The system seems to set things beyond prisoner's reach. I know I might sound like I'm everywhere but I hope you can get the picture. Our prison system has 90% illiterate rate and now has the highest rate of imprisonment out of all the states of Australia.

With the system having no roads for prisoners to keep themselves in touch with the basics of the community and keeping up with technology there is no real chance of surviving after release. Making it impossible for prisoners to defend themselves from the system within the prison system ensuring prisoners cannot prepare any legal defence.

I was writing a daily diary of events for my civil court case. In the last four years the prison management have stolen it. I have my mail go missing and when some people write to me the letters are returned to sender.

I wrote to a prisoner in Victoria to get a precedent court case on computers the prison sent it back 3 times to him stating restricted material prisoner not allowed. I wrote to the Ombudsman and the letters never got there. The prison officers who take mail from prisoners don't record the mail. It gets recorded once it gets to the front gate.

The prison cuts all the stamps off prisoner's mail and throws the stamps in the bin. A court order has ruled they cannot do that as they are worth 2 cents or more and are the property of the prisoner.

There is no prison television or radio for prisoners who have nothing. Most prisoners have noone in the community to help them with no employment or education and it is causing more harm to prisoners. Prisoners are locked down from 4PM to 8.30AM then from 11AM-1.00PM and with no foodstuff except 2-minute noodles. Prisoners can have a play station but cannot have computers. The reason given to us is that you can access the Internet and play DVD's.

I'm hoping you can assist me with some help to start an inquiry into prison reform. Every other state has had one. I have spoken to at leased 7 lawyers who will only do anything if I pay them. Legal advice won't assist. There is noone in the system that has the knowledge to do anything. I've tried and not being allowed to have a computer to keep records and have stuff sent in limits my ability to help. I had a computer from 1990 to 1997.

I was out 12 weeks and now not allowed to have it back as I said any work I do have on paper goes missing on cell searches. I don't know the names of inquiries of the other states to get reference or formats of cases to help with court action. I wrote to the courts to get the correct format to start and they sent me out the Internet address with all the information I would need and the prison won't let me view the net to obtain the correct format.

Can you please help? Or do you know anyone in this state who would assist in changing our system to be in-line with other states more so the community. Our system is causing mental anguish, depression and turning prisoners into haters. In 1987 there was a court ruling on collective punishment in favour for the prisoners. The management and department are breaching the orders made and the prison is taking everything they can saying it is weapons safety.

I hope to hear from you soon, thanks for your time.

Respectfully
B McFarlane
1 Peter Brown Drive
Northfield SA 5085


By B McFarlane 18 July 03

Related:

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