Thursday, January 22, 2004

CONS COMMIT CRIMES IN HASTE, NOW CAN REPENT AT LAWTEY

TRIBUTE TO THE JOHN LAWS SHOW

"I can't think of a better place to reflect on the awesome love of our Lord Jesus than . . . here at Lawtey Correctional. God bless you." [?]

- -- Gov. Jeb Bush, in a Christmas Eve address to prisoners at the nation's first ''faith-based'' prison, in North Florida.

Let us pray. [? Religious bondage!]

Yea, though we hustle through the valley of death, we offer thanks for the bounty of Faith to be found here at the Lawtey Correctional Facility. [?]

[The very notions of the rule of law and judicial punishment are socially corrosive and damaging to the spiritual consciousness of both the people subjected to them and those that practice them.]

Lord, look down with mercy upon us for we have committed multiple felonies and misdemeanors that are grievous in Your eyes, and also in the eyes of the judges and juries who sent us here. [? Also in the eyes of the ruling class.]

[Yes in the face of trial and error, there were learning curves, oh Lord, for they are not born perfect either. But they were born hungry, oh Lord.]

Armed with lethal weapons we have entered liquor stores, pawn shops and late-night establishments of convenience, and from those premises we have taken cash, lottery tickets and merchandise. At no time, Lord, did we return to justly compensate the proprietors.

[Governments, law enforcement and the military don't have any lethal weapons Lord? When their imperial armies occupy sovereign nation states like Afghanistan and Iraq, committed genocide, renditioned and tortured people in barbaric prisons, Lord? At no time did those felons count the dead, Lord, oh Lord! So this is not what we'd call leading by some form of example, is it Lord! Lord, nor did they return to justly compensate the proprietors.]

Yea, and with only a screwdriver we have hot-wired late model automobiles to which we did not hold title, and shamelessly bartered them to other sinners who chopped them up for parts.

[But they did not invade sovereign nation states like the Coalition of the Killing and steal their resources, Lord! They did not steal oil, gas, land and opium that they did not hold title, like the Coalition of the Killing, Lord!]

Through open windows and unlocked sliding doors we have passed into the dwellings of strangers, from which we removed plasma television sets, DVD players, CD burners, jewelry, rare coins and sterling silver flatware that did not lawfully belong to us.

[Two wrongs don't make it right but oh Lord, some of those imperialists, like the Coalition of the Killing who have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide on sovereign nation states were not even judged. Oh Lord!]

Lord, we have snatched purses from women to whom we were not related, and from those handbags we have lifted credit cards, and upon those credit cards we have charged numerous expensive items for which we had no intention of paying.

[Stealing purses from women is wrong Lord, and two wrongs don't make that right either but those crimes were not the crimes of the century, oh Lord. Lord, that noble cause ruling class, the Coalition of the Killing, have killed and murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, men, women and children in the name of democracy? They have also snatched purses and belongings from those people. Oh Lord, those who seek to judge others must also be judged by others.]

Likewise, we have written checks for various goods and services, knowing verily that there were insufficient funds in our accounts, or that those accounts themselves had long ago been closed.

[Yes some peasants were out of work, hungry and desperate and had to find a way to feed their families, as they were not born with silver spoons in their mouths, Lord. They just robbed from the rich and gave to poor.]

No justification [? But lots of mitigation?]

In moments of weakness we have poisoned our bodies with alcohol, and at the slightest provocation began to smite those around us with Budweiser bottles, bar stools, pool cues or heavy ceramic ashtrays.

[Corporations had no weakness when they advertised their Budweiser endlessly? Nor did governments and authorities have no weakness when they heavily taxed, and allowed corporations to advertise and poison people with ethyl alcohol, the broth that has now sent man mad!]

And yes, Lord, some of us have in those times of moral debasement reached for a knife or a firearm and used it to assault another person in a most aggravated way.

[And some authorities have also reached for a baton, tazer, gas, guns, armoured vehicles and water cannons to assault protesters and those in custody whom they have assaulted in a most aggravated way, sometimes causing death.]

In our shamed hearts we realize there's no Biblical justification for such behavior, [? no religious bondage either ], even if the person whom we assaulted had coarsely insulted our mother, commented inappropriately on our wife's choice of swimwear, or stolen a baggie of crystal meth from our bedroom closet.

[Lord, the ruling class, corporations and authorities can do no wrong, it is only the peasants in society that are evil? Pursuing people to their deaths for the sake of corporate property is a noble cause?]

Newfound Faith [?]

Confronted with our wrongdoings, some of us have spoken falsely, resisted arrest and even committed battery upon law-enforcement officers, showing not only disrespect for authority but a glaring absence of common sense.

[Authorities and law-enforcement officers are not always right! If they want respect they have to earn it.]

Lord, we cannot blame You for being rather skeptical of our newfound Faith, for so many brothers and sisters in the prison system have claimed to embrace You before.

[We can continue within the systems of law making, law enforcement, and punishment; or we can simply reject them as inhuman, and walk away.]

It's true that, in the past, some of us did not turn to You until late in the plea-bargaining process, and only then in a laughably transparent attempt to convince prosecutors that we'd found spiritual redemption.

[It is very unlikely that the Feds and various State governments will close the prisons and release all the prisoners. Even if there were to be a huge change of heart in the old communities, and popular support for such reforms. Making new laws, year after year, and punishing wrongdoers, is an innate strategy for maintaining control of society.]

Others of us waited until our final request for a new trial was rejected by the appellate courts, and we were hence abandoned by our lawyers.

[They are the ruling class. It is their rule of law in their institutions and they can do no wrong?]

Still others of us welcomed You only in the days approaching our first parole hearing, during which we memorized numerous verses of the Scriptures and extolled Your virtues to all within earshot.

[The prospect of prison is a deterrent to rebellion, and the Feds will want that insurance as the controlled economy and the old order continue to decay and weaken. But, when significant numbers of the more highly skilled technicians and scientists decide to abandon the old society, rather than rebel against it, the Old World Order will find that their 'justice' system and their prisons are not a deterrent to secession.]

Sadly, after our request for an early release was denied, we somehow mislaid our Faith and returned to the blaspheming, gambling, fighting and occasional drug use that is endemic to the penal life.

[It is likely, therefore, that secessions and the establishment of free cities will need to precede the emptying of the prisons. The need to make the change to free cities is therefore urgent. People are suffering and dying in the prisons every damn day.]

However, we now humbly beseech You to set aside Your doubts and suspicions about our sudden piety. This time, it's different. This time we're going to stick with the program!

[Secessions will reshape the economics of the prison system. Once the Feds and State governments no longer have the tax revenues that they had when they built and filled their jails, they will be more inclined to allow the release of female, and later male, felons. It might be necessary to 'recompense' the old governments for their 'trouble' in arranging the releases, on a reasonable per head basis. But it should not be necessary to have a great debate or struggle about it.]

Less recidivism [?]

It's true that Lawtey is the first faith-based prison in the country, but ask Yourself, Lord, could this experiment really do any worse at rehabilitating criminals than regular prisons do?

[No! Because Lawtey is still a prison and religious bondage. Some people would say they are one in the same, a prison.]

As Gov. Bush noted, almost four out of 10 inmates, [prisoners], released from institutions in Florida get sent back someday. With Your help and blessing, we will labor righteously to reduce this appalling rate of recidivism.

[In other words prisons don't work and in today's world the rate of recidivism is at least 5 out of every ten return to prison. Those that have been mistreated are released angry and bitter and are seeking retribution.]

As there are 26 religions represented here at Lawtey, we've made this prayer generic enough to include all our inmates, [prisoners.]

[Religion is just ruling class bondage champ and another way to control the masses. The Universe is the highest power. Those who nurture nature will do better than those who don't. Just ask the child molesters in the church.]

Although we occasionally debate Your attitude toward crime and punishment, with one voice we beg You to understand that we're not all incorrigible, despite the embarrassing lengths of our rap sheets.

[Will ex-offenders make decent citizens worthy of the benefits of free cities? They will if the colonisation of Australia by the British is any indication. Most of the initial populace of the various colonies that were set up some two hundred years ago were, in fact, convicts. Once they were released it did not take them long to assimilate and make significant contributions to the building of the nation.]

In closing, Lord, please withhold Your Holy Adjudication for the time being.

[Sadly, at the instigation of a relatively small but powerful establishment, the nation that the descendants of the original convicts helped to develop, has now become, to the shame of many present-day Australians, America's 'Deputy Sheriff' in Asia, and a co-aggressor in Afghanistan and Iraq. Tell me the way the people in the jails think is evil and dangerous.]

To quote from the Book of Raiford, "Patience is a virtue -- as if we had a choice."

CURE --- Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants

CURE --- is a nation-wide grass roots organization dedicated to reducing crime through reform of the criminal justice system.[Criminal Law System.]

[Although the foreign policies of the Coalition of the Killing nations are operating to gradually drive decent people in those countries away from their governments, the prisons issue can be much more potent. Dialogue on the streets, in the cafes, and on the Internet, will have more impact if it is about the prison abuses and injustices at home than if it is about abuses 'over there,' - to people we don't know, and whom the parrot people say are terrorists who 'deserve it.']

Some Practicalities Of Emptying The Prisons [287]

Given the importance that prisons and punishment have in maintaining control of increasingly restless populations, the task of achieving the release of the people in the jails and the closure of those institutions, seems daunting. But it is so vital to the 2nd Renaissance that we must find ways to do it.

The principles to use to find those ways have already been set out in earlier parts of this document. To recap, the key points are:

* Talk to each other: Us-2-Us.
* Act like the ants.
* Use the Internet / Freenet and PPDs to communicate.
* Focus on what we can control, not on changing what governments and corporations control.
* Remain non-violent.
* Apply reverse surveillance - if we can't hide they can't hide.
* Think as sovereign individuals, not some state's subservient citizens.
* Highlight the failures of the outgoing civilization, including the rule of law.
* Don't ever give up, don't ever compromise. The power to change things right now exists right now.

You don't think it's possible to have a society without jails? Well, tribal societies such as the Alawa of Australia did so for more than forty-thousand years. So too did many other ancient societies. Not only have no fortifications been found at the site of the megalithic city of Caral, there are no signs of any prisons either. A society that seems to have lived in peace for a thousand years probably didn't need jails.

Go forward in peace. And always remember the line from Gravity's Rainbow: "If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers."


By Golden Goose posted 22 January 04

Related:

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Conditions in the HRMU
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NSW leaves nation behind in rate and cost of jailing people
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HRMU Solitary Confinement And Stopping Violence
I refer to your article on the (HRMU) HIGH RISK MANAGEMENT UNIT AT GOULBURN, TOTAL ABUSE OF POWER:

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LESKIE INQUEST: What has hearsay got to do with it?
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NSW PRISONS: A TOTAL ABUSE OF POWER
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WHEN THE PUNISHMENT IS THE CRIME AND PLANTING THE SEED
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A Question of Innocence
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NSW Corrections Health Service: Response
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DEBUS SENTENCE OUTCRY BREACHES SEPARTION OF POWERS
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Postcard Bandit' no postcard bandit: ABC TV
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The Sentencing (crime of murder) and parole reform act 2003
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Prisoners as citizens and duty of care
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Supporters doubt PM's efforts to release Habib, Hicks
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Long Bay: Corrections Health Services in NSW prisons
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Home detention for people who make mistakes
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NSW Terrorist Minister leads the way
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MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG NEW SOUTH WALES PRISONERS
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Yatala Labour Prison Adelaide Going Backwoods: response
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On the treatment of prisoners at the NSW HRMU
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Review of Justice Ministers claims about conditions at HRMU
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Lithgow prisoners speak out about rations
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International Prisoners Justice Day 2003
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Beyond Bars: Sentencing reform
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Inspector General of Corrective Services Debate
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Hatzistergos: The Daily Telegraph's prison mates
Who convinced a prisoner on periodic detention to take a mobile phone into prison to take a photo of Rene Rivkin? The prisoner said no and contacted the Daily Terror to say no.

PRISONERS OFFER OF RECONCILIATION
Premier Bob Carr, Deputy Premier Andrew Refshauge, Senator Aden Ridgeway, and other community representatives have been invited to receive the message from the men of "The Hole.

Goulburn Solitary Confinement: Midnight Special
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Carr defends prison handling of political PRISONER
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SENTENCING RIVKIN: BRAIN SURGERY OR SUICIDE?
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RESPONSE TO REVIEW OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OF PRISONS
Justice Action calls for the retention of the office of Inspector General and a restructure of the legislation making it truly independent.

Rene Rivkin: Beam me down Scottie! - We gotta get out of this space At best a prison is only a Space Station. Nothing more nothing less and it doesn't matter how much money or resources are spent on prisons they're only a candle light for human growth and survival, opposed to the sunshine and the benefit and resources of the whole community.

Old bureaucrats to say whether they felt there should be an effective inspector of bureaucrats?
JA is urgently working on a response to the 31 page review of the position of the Inspector General of Corrective Services position released by the Minister on10/6/03.

High Risk Management Unit (HRMU) INSPECTION
This letter is to request permission for an independent inspection team to examine the 75-cell HRMU at Goulburn Jail. The proposed inspection team consists of specialist doctors, jurists, members of the Corrections Health Service Consumer Council and prisoners representatives.

MJA - BBCD Outbreaks in NSW prisons
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Intractables
As an ex-Grafton intractable (1971-1975) and the only living ex-prisoner to have served the longest time inside Katingal (1975-1978) I feel qualified to offer the following personal observations:

Intolerable Conditions of Prisoners at Goulburn's HRMU
We wish to with respect, level a serious complaint against the Chief Executive Officer, Corrections Health Services, Dr Richard Matthews.

SIX YEARS IN HELL - The Sorry Saga of Ivan Robert Milat
This month, May 2003, Ivan Milat will have spent six years in segregation/isolation without any charges, enquiry, or breach of prison rules levelled against him.

NSW death in custody, false imprisonment, and assault
Knight's case sparked headlines after it emerged that his suicide in John Moroney Correctional Centre [prison] in Sydney on January 22 occurred 18 days after his official release date.

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The Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 Qld
The Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 (Qld), requires that any person who has committed an offence which is less than 10 years old or which resulted in a prison sentence of more than 30 months, must disclose that offence if requested eg. for employment purposes. If a criminal record is disclosed in a job application, it is unlikely that person will be given the job.

NSW Serious Offenders Review Council
In response to a letter we have received from Mr K C who has said that he is serving 24 years and 10 months commencing on 29/8/1991 with his earliest release date being 28/6/2016 with 4 years parole and full time 28/6/2020. He said that he contacted the Serious Offenders Review Council in writing but received no response.

Justice Action's complaints about ACM to the NSW Ombudsman fell on deaf ears The Federal Government is reviewing allegations that the company it pays to run Australia's detention centres the same company who runs Junee Jail in NSW has fraudulently reduced staffing levels in at least one centre to increase its profits.

Token Parole Board reforms silent on Govt bungle
The Carr governments token reforms of the Parole Board are minimalist and still fail to explain the election cover-up of mismanagement, which contributed to an inmate's [a prisoners] death.

PAROLE BOARD REWARDED? FOR DEADLY MISTAKE
The Justice Minister has released government reforms to the Parole Board following the death of an aboriginal inmate, which was due to a Parole Board error.

Sentencing innovation breaks vicious circle of jail terms
"Three months' jail for one punch in a pub fight is too much," said the victim. The victim's comment counted because he and the offender, Robert Bolt, a Nowra Aborigine, were making history in the first case of circle sentencing, a new way of deciding punishment for indigenous offenders.

Letter from the mother of a prisoner on remand at the High Risk Management Unit Goulburn Correctional Centre I am writing to give you permission to make any inquiries on my behalf as I am invalid pensioner who doesn't drive and been only well enough to travel by train once in 15 months to see my son Scott Simpson. I have enclosed a copy of Scott's letter and also a copy of gaol papers form I have to fill out and wait to see if I'm allowed in to see him. He doesn't get any visits. He is in the Supermax and deprived of any privileges not even legal Aid will fund a solicitor to see him in Goulburn.

WA Jail trade in 'sex for favours'
THE West Australian Government has ordered an inquiry into claims guards at Perth's main women's prison are trading favours for sex, and encouraging inmates to form lesbian relationships.

NSW prisons over-crowded. Gov't orders investigation into death in custody
In January this year, a 23-year-old Aboriginal prisoner was found hanging in his cell in a Sydney jail 18 days after he was due to be released.

Yes Minister: 'Justice Action meets John Hatzistergos Justice Mininster' We have taken a few days to pass this on, as we wanted clarification of the minister's statement about the purposes of imprisonment before publishing it.

Beyond Bars Alliance colleagues
There are certainly problems with the IG's terms of reference and the position is not nearly as strong as it should or could be but it should not be lost it should be strengthened (along the lines of the UK IG of Prisons) to provide an independent voice to the Parliament regarding activities and processes that otherwise happen behind prison walls.

Submissions for Review of Inspector General
There is a very serious attack happening on the office of the NSW Inspector General of Corrective Services. A secret and flawed review is taking place at this moment, and we call upon all individuals and organisations interested in the area to make their views known.

Two thirds of a billion dollars and DCS can't work out what authority they have? "Two thirds of a billion dollars of taxpayers money and the Department of Corrective Services can't work out what authority they have to hold the people who are in jail."

Australia: Private Prisons, Junee NSW
When I got to Junee I was given nothing except bed linen. That's it! No clothing. I had to put my name down for clothing, which they said I could get on Saturday. When I went down to get my clothing on Saturday I was told they had nothing but I was told that I could buy what I wanted on their monthly buy-up. In the mean time I got rashes between my legs from the dirty clothes I had on.

Justice Action meets with new Minister for Justice
John Hatzistergos Minister for Justice is meeting with Brett Collins and Justice Action today at 11:30 a.m.

ARUNTA PHONE SYSTEM: IDC Lithgow Prison
The prisoners of Lithgow Correctional Centre have requested that the Lithgow Inmate Development Committee write to you on their behalf and ask that the phone systems heavy burden upon the prisoners at this institution and their families be reviewed. I will outline the problems.

Health problems denied in prison
Lithgow Correctional Centre (IDC) Inmate Development Committee "Currently there are 72 inmates on the doctors waiting list with only one doctor coming fortnightly and usually on a weekend".

NSW Prisons Inmate Development Committee speaks out
I am writing on behalf of the IDC Inmate Development Committee in area 3, MSPC at Long Bay. Area 3 is where, the Department is congregating minimum-security offenders within maximum-security walls whilst awaiting mandatory programs at Cubit (Sex Offenders Program).

THE GULAG TREATMENT - The Trauma Of Court Appearances When Incarcerated Prisoner transport vehicle 10th January 2003 It's about 4.40am, very darkoutside and although I'm expecting it, it is still intrusive when my dreams are interrupted by the sound of my name, it is the officer checking that I'm awake ready to face the long day ahead.

Sir David Longland Correctional Centre
If it were possible to characterize the term B Block attitude in a modern dictionary, it would read something like "demeanor of inhabitance" or "state of mind or behaviour of occupants".

SIR DAVID LONGLAND CORRECTIONAL CENTRE QLD - CELLS IN B BLOCK The cells in B Block are like no other in any Queensland prison. After Mr. Cooper was severally embarrassed by the Abbott and Co escape on 4th November 1997, he visited B Block and the surrounding grounds. It was that visit, by Cooper, that set in motion a plan (up the ante) to make sure security in B Block would never embarrass him again. It was like closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

Inspector General Ignored On Womens Prison
Four months after a report from the Inspector General on Mulawa Correctional Centre, key recommendations involving safety and welfare of prisoners and staff have been ignored. Kathryn Armstrong (former chair of Inmate Development Committee) and Annabel Walsh, released from Mulawa Womens Prison in February, have produced an independent report confirming the findings of the Inspector General.

Distribution of: 'How to Votes in prisons'?
Justice Action have received information from Andrew Burke of the NSW Greens that they have enquired with the Department of Corrective Services as to the procedure for distributing their How To Votes in prisons in the period before the election.

Getting Justice Wrong DPP make full admissions
Back in May 2001 Nicholas Cowdery QC made an error at law by giving a speech called Getting Justice Wrong at the University of New England, Armidale Thursday, 31 May 2001. Sir Frank Kitto, Lecture now published at the DPP website. At page six, paragraph 3 under the heading:

NSW ELECTION 2003: VOTE 1 GREENS
Inspector-General: The Greens believe that the role of the Inspector-General is crucial to the proper functioning of the prison system. It has never been more important to have a powerful watchdog role than today. Section 3.11 of our Criminal Justice Policy commits the Greens to "strengthening the role of the Inspector-General of Prisons."

Long Bay Prison: The latest inside story
Private food purchases called Buy-Ups that normally take care of the prisoners additional food nutrition in Jail has been changed.

Doing time even harder: 146 prisoners far from home
The United States, however, has detained without trial about 650 men from 43 countries. They include Australians David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib, who are held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base as part of the sweep against global terrorism [scapegoats for the Coalition of the Killing's, pre-emptive strikes, occupation and genocide for resources in the Middle East.]

Human Rights 'Framed'
Here is a quick report on our Human Rights Commission approach on Framed (the quarterly magazine of Justice Action) being banned from all NSW prisons. After 42 issues went in.

Prison Privatisation: Death camps looming in NSW
I asked for the identification of the person I was speaking to and was told that I was not entitled to that information. I needed to verify the call and asked for a name or number to register my call because I was asked to get those details by my coordinator.The person refused to identify themselves either by name or number. I asked to be transferred to a senior person and was refused. The person I spoke to then hung up the phone.

NSW education professor warns further commitment needed
The author of a report on the New South Wales education system has urged the major political parties to do more for education in the election campaign.

Corrections Victoria and criminal acts: SCS-4\320 UPDATE
You have stated "Section 30 of the Corrections Act 1986 and the Information Privacy Act 2000, restricts the release of confidential information regarding prisoners, I therefore am unable to provide any information regarding this matter."

Death camps looming in Victoria
A letter was received on 15 January 03 from SCS-4\320 a remand prisoner in Victoria's Barwon Prison I later found out that the prisoner was in the Acacia High Security Unit.

Jail search finds knives, syringes
Mr Brett Collins a spokesperson for Justice Action said, "It shows there is a lot of desperation in the prison system at the moment and has been for some time."

Take crime talk beyond the bars:'lobby group'
A coalition of academics, crime experts, welfare and church groups is preparing to launch an intensive pre-election campaign aimed at refocusing the attention of NSW politicians from harsh sentencing reforms to crime prevention strategies.

Six weeks, six months, six years: inmates have little chance of making fresh start More than 15,500 people are released from NSW prisons each year, twice the number of 20 years ago. But new research shows many ex-prisoners find it impossible to reintegrate into society and, months after release, are worse off than before they went to jail.

NSW A-G moves to stop criminals and ex-criminals selling stories
From next month criminals or ex-criminals who try to profit (earn a living for paid work, like writing a book etc..) from their crimes in New South Wales will have the proceeds confiscated.

NSW Govt criticised over criminal justice record
Key criminal justice groups have described the New South Wales Government's record on justice issues as a "disappointing performance".

APPOINTMENT OF KLOK IS: 'DECLARATION OF WAR'
The decision of the Carr government to appoint John Jacob Klok as the new Assistant Commissioner for Corrective Services in charge of security represents a statement of contempt to all those concerned about law and justice in NSW.

How NSW Dept of Corrective Services spent $800,000 dollars to rehabilitate a Sydney man sentenced to life for second murder! A spokesperson for Justice Action Mr Pro Grams said, "Well it's your money, how would you like it spent? And what do you think about rehabilitation on behalf of the Department of Corruptive Services?

Prisoners Representatives Excommunicated
Ron Woodham, Commissioner Corrective Services stated "[this Department] does not recognise Justice Action as an advocate on correctional centre issues." He has ordered a ban on all Justice Action material inside the NSW prison system. This resulted from a request for the approval of the latest edition of Framed (the Magazine of Justice Action) to be distributed throughout NSW prisons as has occurred for the past ten years.

Dept of Corrective Services: Rotten Ron Woodham on the ropes
This is The Freeedom Of Speech and The Press in a goldfish-bowl! Herr Goebells has spoken. Zieg Heil! (Which means, actually: "aim-for health!" incidentally)Apologies for not making meetings ... my first experiences with Woodham (then a -screw-gestapo-minor-with-a-friendly-dog - AND YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS WHEN EVEN HIS DOG DOESN`T LIKE HIM?)

At the Minister's Pleasure The case of Michael Kelly
Michael is caught up in a particularly cruel version of the game of Cat and Mouse. Because he is classified as a forensic patient under the Mental Heath Act of NSW, the Minister for Health is his master, not the Minister for Corrective Services. And the Minister for health will not let him go.

EX-PRISONER UNEMPLOYMENT: SENTENCED FOR LIFE
Name removed by request served time in prison decades ago. Shes still being punished today. According to commonwealth and state legislation, ex-prisoners applying for jobs must declare any conviction that fits into the following categories: less than 10 years old, more than 10 years old but served more than 30 months in prison.

ARE YOU INNOCENT?
The Australian Law Reform Commission had recommended that the Innocence Panel be independent and have the power to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice.

RESTORING TRUE JUSTICE:
Australian prisons are fast becoming the new asylums of the third millennium. The prison industry is booming, while Australia spends far less on mental health services than similar countries.

Medical records Alex Mitchell's lost world
Perhaps we can get your medical report and spew it around publicly so you can see how it feels. But surely we do not have to go that far. And of course we are law-abiding citizens and I should think it would be enough to remind you of your ethics to report at all.

NSW Department of Corrective Services attack right to privacy
Corrective Services Minister Richard Amery has a problem attacking prisoners right to privacy.It seems to us that a civil society is best served when social justice laws are applied to all people regardless of their circumstances. Once government starts making exceptions which disadvantage certain groups and individuals, such laws are meaningless.

Litigants are drowning: in the High Court
There were so many self represented litigants appearing in the High Court that more than half of its registry staff's time was taken up in dealing with them. The "go it alone" litigants have to take on tasks well above their qualified league causing them stress. This growing problem cannot be left unchecked.

Everyone wants to get out of 'jail' but 'Framed' wants life: Rotten Ron on the ropes On 2 May 2002, Justice Action received a faxed letter from Manager of DCS Operations Support Branch saying that, in his view, articles in Framed edition #42 'lack balance and integrity' and he is therefore 'not prepared to recommend this issue of Framed for placement in to correctional centre libraries.' Prisoners and those concerned about prisoner issues have very few sources of information.

Methadone addicts formed within: 'NSW Prisons'
The New South Wales Opposition has accused the State Government of turning jailed heroin users into Methadone addicts.

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder Mass DNA testing of prisoners has [allegedly] led to the first NSW case of a person being charged with a previously unsolved murder as a result of a controversial gene-matching data bank.

Prisoners can prove innocence for $20?
Les Kennedy Daily Telegraph reported today that" Prisoners who believe that DNA will prove they were wrongly convicted will have the chance to prove their innocence for a mere $20 administration fee. The move comes 20 months after NSW inmates were asked to provide DNA for comparison with a databank of DNA from unsolved crime scenes for possible convictions.

NSW opposition pledges review of detention laws
A spokesperson for Justice Action Ms Anal Advice said " NSW Prisons are a sex offence if you have been raped, bashed and squatted down to be strip searched. People should be diverted from going there at all material times".

Civil libertarians condemn planned changes to prisoners' privacy rights The New South Wales Government is using a recent case involving [framed] serial killer Ivan Milat to justify its decision to remove the privacy rights of prisoners. But really just another attack on Ivan Milat from Parliament House.

The punishment: Is the 'crime'
The punishment is the crime according to retired chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia Justice Alistair Nicholson. "Smacking a child ought to be seen as assault".

Mr. & Mrs. Mandatory Sentencing
Well congratulations to the bride and groom. Could you please be upstanding and raise your glasses for Mr. And Mrs. Mandatory.

Just wipe your arse on Ivan again Minister?
Mr Amery Minister for Corrective services has a problem with finding a toilet roll to wipe his bottom. Justice Action is appalled at the attacks by Amery and others in parliament on Ivan Milat's right to privacy and their attacks on the Privacy Commissioner and his office.

NSW Parliament Bitter Pills To Swallow?
One delusion pill: So people who investigate their own mistakes make sure there was no mistake or someone else made the mistake. Perhaps you're not biased and you will be honest about it.

NSW prisons - primary industry bailed up!
In many quiet regional centres around NSW there is a new primary industry shaping up. It has something to do with Bail but not with bales. The minister for Agriculture Richard Amery who also has the prisons portfolio is now committed to farming prisoners.

Black Nexus
The Separation of Powers Doctrine is nowcontaminated witharangeofcolours, now leaving us with a black shirt on a once blue bridge that crossed that thin blue line. The 'Amery and Woodham show'.

Prison Mind Games-Do they exist?
Directives are given inside the prison system that are not consistent with the law in NSW. And not in the good interests of the health and well being of the prisoners.

The Government is likely to abolish the Inspector General of Corrective Services position The Mulawa inspection report recommendations below strictly illustrate how important he is.

Chronology - A History of Australian Prisons
[Allegedly:] The events that have shaped NSW prisons - from convict days through royal commissions, to the Supermax of today. [I say allegedly because no one should trust Four Corners [Walls], why? Because they spill out the propaganda of the day for the Government, whether it be wrong or right. A government that lies and has no remorse about it.]

Justice Action
Justice Action is a community based organisation of criminal justice activists. We are prisoners, academics, victims of crime, ex-prisoners, lawyers and general community members. We believe that meaningful change depends upon free exchange of information and community responsibility.

Beyond Bars Alliance colleagues
I imagine all of you received Justice Action's email yesterday regarding the position of Inspector General of Corrective Services.

Community Restorative Centre
NSW spends more than half a billion tax dollars a year on prisons. It costs $60,000 to keep someone in maximum security for a year: more than double the minimum wage. CRC looks for and implements better solutions to the high social and economic costs of crime.

Sisters Inside Inc
Sisters Inside Inc. is an independent community organisation, which exists to advocate for the human rights of women in the criminal justice system, and to address gaps in the services available to them. We work alongside women in prison in determining the best way to fulfil these roles.

Smart Justice
Smart Justice does not support any party but calls for investment in prevention, alternatives to custody and initiatives that tackle the causes of crime. It is important to dispel the myths about 'law and order' and promote real solutions to crime and violence.

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.