NSW Commissioner of Corrective Services Ron WoodhamMy suggestion is that the Premier get Ron Woodham and Brett Collins into his office, and nut out a truce.
Ron Woodham the Commissioner of Corrective Services and Brett Collins of Justice Action and Breakout Print need to bury the hatchet.
The feud between these two is legendary, and is hindering an effective dialogue between the justice advocates of Justice Action and the Prison Administration who need some help from this community group in making our prisons more humane and effective in letting go of prisoners so they don't keep offending and returning to gaol.
Corrective Services and the main body of prison officers need community input, from an independent community group that can highlight various weaknesses in the system and supply solutions that ease the workload and stress that the officers invariably have to suffer.
Obesity, and high blood pressure are very common complaints that Prison Officers suffer from, that are work induced and often brought on by the stress of dealing with overcrowded and stressed prisoners. Ron Woodham himself suffers from acute diabetes. People often forget that a tough prison is very tough on Prison Officers.
The number of Prison Personnel with mental problems has been increasing over the last 5 years at an alarming rate. Just how many 'welfare officers' working in the system are overweight? Do these hard-working and overworked people deserve to die early and suffer illness because minor changes to the system are denied because of a personal feud between two men?
We might also remember that Bob Carr, the Premier of NSW, has used Ron Woodham as Commissioner of Prisons quite shamelessly to be seen to be 'tough on prisoners', to gain political points at the expense of both prisoners and Prison Officer's health.
As a full on diabetic Ron Woodham is in no position to stand up to the Premier. As an ex-prisoner, and exponent of the Bathurst Riots, Brett Collins helped change the system and whistle in the Nagle Report with its major changes to 'the system'. Collins needs to clean his ears out and listen to some common sense, good spokesperson though he is.
My suggestion is that the Premier get Ron and Brett into his office, and nut out a truce, that can usher in a new era of better understanding that will take the very considerable pressure off the Prison Officers whose only offence is that they turned up for a day's work. Never ever ever give in.
By Phil Ambler 21 April 05
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