Tuesday, September 16, 2003

On the treatment of prisoners at the NSW HRMU

A prisoner's sister's letter, from her brother: Following our phone conversation some weeks ago I would like to set out a few points on the treatment of prisoners in the High Risk Management Unit at Goulburn (Super Max) (Guantanamo Bay).

Brother: When you first arrive at Goulburn Super Max Jail you are taken to wing 7. That is after you are stripped searched and given new cloths, underwear and shoes, which don't fit properly.

Next you are taken to wing 7, you are given new sheets and blankets and nothing else. After spending your first night in segregation (wing 7) the Deputy Governor comes to see you and asks you why you are in Jail.

When you try and explain the reason for you to be there he doesn't listen, he just says he will see you again next week.

The following week he again comes to see me and I asked him why I have been transferred to Super Max. He gives me the Act 27, which basically is an excuse for them to have anyone that they want in Super Max without an excuse.

Sister: (We still don't have a reason why he was moved, but I believe it was because of complaints made about the Intel Officer of Lithgow to the Commissioner Mr Ron Woodham.

The Intel Officer took a dislike to my brother and he made it very difficult for him. My brother's room was raided frequently and was moved from pod to pod and often put in dangerous situations.

Brother: After spending a couple of months in segregation [solitary confinement ?] you are given a classification which starts at 0 then the next step is 1:1. This gets you into one of the wings either wing 8 or wing 9 that entitles you to a radio and a jug of hot water, also you have access to a small bar fridge which is kept in the day room in front of your cell.

You are suppose to be reclassified every 4 to 6 weeks but this doesn't happen very often. The classification consists of you seeing welfare 2 or 3 times and answering a lot of personal questions.

Then you have to see a psychologist and fill in a couple of questions, which are also very personal. If you don't answer these questions you do not move up the classification ladder, therefore you don't get your radio, jug, TV etc.

0-Nothing but 2 phone calls a week and $20.00 buy up.

1:1- 2 personal phone calls, $25 buy up, jug, radio, access to library sometimes and access to a fridge.

1:2- 2 personal phone calls, $30 buy up, jug, radio, access to the library and computer room, fridge and microwave access. You can put down for association! That means you can be in the library or the sports yard with someone that they have approved you to be with. Never more than 2, that is you and someone else.

1:3 All the above except the buy up goes up by $5.00 ever time also you get a TV this could take up to 6 months. After 1:3 things start to slow down and they don't care too much about moving you up the ladder as I have explained. It starts at 0 and goes up to 3:3, if you do reach 3:31 I don't know what happens because no one has reached that stage.

Visits: You get one visit a week for one hour. The visitor has to complete a very strict security check, which can take up to 2 months for approval. Some prisoners have waited 6 months for approval to be granted.

Cells: The cells are 6ft by 14ft with one concrete bed and one concrete bench and one concrete TV bench for a (future TV). There is a shower, stainless steel sink and toilet with no lid on it. Ventilation comes from some sort of air conditioning system. One vent pushes air in and the other vent sucks it out. Occasionally the power goes off and the only ventilation you get is from gaps under the back door, which leads to the yard. It is not too bad for a while but if it stays off for too long the air starts to get a little stale, especially if you are a smoker you can imagine how it is.

Lock In: Lock inn's are at least 3 times a week (24 hour) this is since I've been here. It has been confirmed by other prisoners this is normal. The only day you can be sure that you will get out is Saturday and Sunday. During lock in you can't make any legal phone calls.

In fact you can't get anything done. This means your laundry days are say Monday and Friday and you're locked in. You can't get your laundry done until you are let out on one of those days. Sometimes it can take up to three weeks before you get your laundry done and we are not given enough cloths and run out of things that are clean to wear. 2 track pants, 2 jumpers, 4 t-shirts and 2 towels.

Food: The food is standard as any other correctional facility.

Breakfast; 3 x coffee, 7 x sweetener, 1 x 40gms of cereal and I jam spread with 300ml milk.

Lunch; 2 sandwiches, 1 piece of fruit and seven slices of bread.

Dinner; 1 frozen meal reheated and served. In the last two months I have been here my dinner has never been hot just a little warm. Dinner is served at 2:30 PM every day. Lock in is usually at 2:45 or 3:00pm. If you don't have access to a microwave then you have to eat it as you get it. You can't buy your own food. So you are forced to eat their food. This food does not take into consideration all the different nationalities. The only way to communicate with other prisoners are calling to each other from our cells as no contact with other prisoners are allowed.

Sister: Finally after talking to prisoners who I know from before from other prisons. These people have become very paranoid and irrational. They were never like that before and I believe that this place has done this to them.

Furthermore, During my visit with my brother I questioned him about other prisoner's appearance and was told because of not being able to purchase proper razor blades the prisoners don't shave.

In one of my brother's previous letters, he went to write that no matter how much he tried to work hard in rehabilitation it just does not help. It takes one officer to take a dislike of you and you are gone. Sent to Super Max as punishment for the way you look and to break your spirit. If you are not strong enough to survive your term you will come out worse than when you went in.

By Just Us 16 September 03

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Shine For Kids
What happens for a young person who has a parent in prison?
There are a lot of consequences for children or young people who have a parent in prison. During Groupwork the kids themselves have identified as being:

Children of Prisoners' Support Group
Children of Prisoner's welcomes Ann Symonds as our first Patron at this years AGM and screening of "The Space in Between" video , and will have a visual display to demonstrate the invisible population of children effected by parental incarceration.