Tough line on crime fills jails

Maitland Prison Cells

The tough law-and-order policies of governments around the nation are behind an explosion in the prison population by almost 80 per cent in the past two decades.

The Australian Institute of Criminology reported yesterday that the number of inmates had risen by an average 5 per cent a year since 1984 - from 86 to 153 per 100,000 people.

The biggest increase has been in remanded prisoners, which rose from 12 to 21 per cent of the 23,555 prisoners in custody on June 30, 2003.

Indigenous Australians remain grossly overrepresented, with a rate of imprisonment 13 times higher than the non-indigenous population - 1710 per 100,000 compared to 124.

Sentences for violent offences such as homicide, assault, sexual assault and robbery also rose.

A spokesman for the NSW Justice Minister, John Hatzistergos, said there were more than 9000 people in NSW jails - a 50 per cent rise since 1995 - and another 18,000 offenders being supervised in the community.

It costs at least $500 million a year to house the inmates and the Government has spent more than $1 billion in expanding prisons and building new jails over the past decade.

By Michael Pelly 4 March 05

Related:

LEGAL VISITS AT PARKLEA PRISON
I am a prisoner in NSW and I am currently held in Parklea Prison. I am concerned about what is going on in NSW prisons and this is my story.

Parklea Prison: No calls for six days
The last calls that were made out of Parklea Correctional Complex by my partner, an inmate in remand at Parklea, was on Wednesday 2 February. The phone lines for the inmates have been out of service to this date.

Prison visits in crisis in NSW
The reason I am writing today is to address a difficult situation that my husband and my family are going through. My husband is currently serving a sentence at Lithgow Correctional Centre in NSW.

Prison boom will prove a social bust
Hardened criminals are not filling NSW's prisons - the mentally ill and socially disadvantaged are, writes Eileen Baldry.

The prison system requires assiduous oversight
As NSW Attorney General Bob Debus noted in 1996: "The kinds of complaints which occur in the system may seem trivial to outsiders but in the superheated world of the prison, such issues can produce explosive results."

Crime and Punishment
Mark Findlay argues that the present psychological approach to prison programs is increasing the likelihood of re-offending and the threat to community safety.

Justice Denied In NSW Corrective Services
There used to be a (VJ) or Visiting Justice who would go into the prison and judge any claim or accusation that was made by any prisoner or prison guard. If it were found that a prisoner had offended then punishment was metered out.

Prison guards test positive for drugs
NSW prison visitors banned from using the toilet The visit is only for about one hour and any thing less than that is an insult. If it's proved that a visitor has broken the rules the punishment should apply to them. But collective punishment on all visitors should not be made general when others haven't broken the rules especially if it restricts all visitors from normal human needs like using a toilet.

NSW prison visitors banned from using the toilet
The New South Wales Government has introduced several initiatives to stop contraband getting into prisons they said last Friday. But under the guise of "stricter rules" the department had also introduced banning all visitors including children from using the toilet unless they terminate their visit at any NSW prison after using the toilet.

Watchdogs slaughtered in NSW
On Tuesday the Carr Government reduced transparency and accountability yet again and New South Wales is in danger of becoming entrenched with cronyism and intimidations with the Carr Labor Government that continues to slaughter the watchdogs.

DNA leads 'CSI' cold-case squad to first arrest?

Breakthrough? ....Johanne Coral Hatty, was murdered 21 years ago now police say they have DNA evidence? But what they have is Mind-Set!

Frozen case? I don't really know what to say about them until they come up with their case. They say it involves DNA evidence but that's the only stuff we know.

It has been almost 21 years since the night Johanne Coral Hatty was murdered in a Neutral Bay scenic reserve when the Sydney restaurant hostess returned home from work.

The hunt for her killer waned as the decades passed. But it gained new focus six months ago when the newly formed NSW Unsolved Homicide Unit reopened her case file after watching 'CSI' on CH/9 for the last three weeks at 8.30 pm on Sunday night? - Just in case you missed it!

Now in the remote south-west Victorian grazing hamlet of Willatook yesterday, police from the unit took another step in attempting to solve the unsolved case, no mystery?

At 7am they knocked on the door of David Graham Fleming. The 51-year-old wheelchair-bound invalid pensioner with one leg was arrested on a warrant for the murder of Ms Hatty, 24, on Saturday, February 18, 1984, in the Spains Wharf Lookout Reserve.

Fleming, a married man, is the first person - in a case book of 400 unsolved murders in NSW spanning back to 1970 - to be arrested by the unit, which was formed to see if new forensics could shed light on unsolved cases.

One wonders where they got his DNA evidence from?

The arrest came after it was revealed that the nine-member unit believed it was close to cracking its first case?

Just before 4pm yesterday an unshaven Fleming, who has lived in Willatook for three years, wearing a workman's orange fluoro jacket, was wheeled before the Warrnambool magistrate, Michael Coghlan.

He said 'nothing' as Mr Coghlan read the warrant seeking his return to Sydney, 'nor did police reveal in open court how they had come to link him to the crime or his ties to the North Shore in 1984? The homicide squad's commander, Detective Superintendent Paul Jones, did say, however, that the breakthrough in the case resulted from DNA evidence?

Fleming's lawyer, Cherianne Lenehan, opposed the application, saying Fleming had a severe spinal problem that affected his ability to travel, made it difficult for him to sit in one spot for too long, and forced him to sleep sitting up because he had difficulty breathing.

She said Fleming's wife, who sat alone in the court, was his sole carer and relied on Centrelink for support.

But Mr Coghlan said he would grant the extradition for his appearance in Sydney's Central Local Court tomorrow, saying to Fleming: "Do you understand?" A loud "Sir" was the reply.

The Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, yesterday praised the detectives involved, saying: "This result is a combination of the very best technology and persistence and sheer hard work."?

Rubbish this is a promotion for noble cause corruption and Maroney is in on it. In short a blatant lie by the commissioner of police to promote unsound evidence for noble purposes and validate the expense of the Cold Case operation.

Just read the links about DNA and then get Maroney to tell us how he got this man's DNA? Then get an independent witness to test the evidence before you disrupt other people's lives!

It looks bad. A bunch of NSW cops in the media spotlight to solve old cases for which a lot of the evidence will be gone and no one will be able to confirm alibis any more. Sounds like a recipe for dodgy investigations and unsafe convictions. But that's hardly anything new in this state.

In a prepared statement Ms Hatty's parents, Bill and Coral, thanked detectives.

"It has been 20 years since the murder of our daughter Johanne and this has been an extremely difficult time for our family," they said.

"We would like to sincerely thank the NSW Police Unsolved Homicide Team for their perseverance and efforts in the investigation of the crime, and their courtesy in dealing with us during their investigations.

"As the matter is now before the court, we of course are not able to comment further. We request the media respect our privacy and not attempt to contact the family at this difficult time."

It would be nice if they actually got their act together to allow prisoners access to DNA to prove their innocence instead of always spending so much time and effort using it to arrest and harass people - but that's never going to happen under a Carr government of course.

Mind Set

Welcome to the Cold Case guide at TV Tome.

Cold Case stars Kathryn Morris as Lilly Rush, the lone female detective in the Philadelphia homicide squad who finds her calling when she's assigned to "cold cases" -- crimes that have never been solved. When she hits a dead-end, Lilly seeks advice from her respected mentor, Lt. John Stillman (John Finn). Also on the team are Det. Scotty Valens (Danny Pino), Rush's confident and strong-willed partner, Det. Will Jeffries (Thom Barry), who's been around long enough to know where all the bodies are buried and Det. Nick Vera (Jeremy Ratchford), a tough cop who's considered the go-to guy for getting a confession. Lilly makes it her business to ensure that no victim is ever forgotten.

Produced by Warner Bros. Television
In association with CBS Productions.

No link available

Noble Cause Corruption

A corrupt way to treat the community?
NSW: CH/9 Sunday: "The suicide of one of NSW's most senior investigators in August has underlined a crisis gripping the state's police service"? [police force.]

Trial By Media

Ch/9 News? Or Ch/9's Department of Public Prosecutions?
Channel Nine is thinking of taking over from the Department of Public Prosecutions in the Falconio case.

Supreme Court rejects Nine appeal
CHANNEL Nine lost a Supreme Court appeal today to have a suppression order on details of the case of missing backpacker Peter Falconio lifted. The Full Bench of the NT Supreme Court today ruled Magistrate Alasdair McGregor had the power to make the order banning from publication some details of the case.

Changes to Evidence Laws
Evidence law reform a boost for business: ALRC
"The Evidence Act regulates the way in which evidence is collected, presented and evaluated in criminal and civil court proceedings. The rules of evidence contained in the Act are, therefore, central to operation of the whole justice system.

By Les Kennedy, Glen Bernoth and Just Us 19 January 05

Related:

Safeguards demanded for DNA database
Privacy safeguards are required to combat the intrusive effects of the police DNA database, it has been claimed.

I tracked down Janine's killer, says MP
A Miscarriages of Justice ... MP Peter Breen and Inset Innocent Stephen Wayne "Shorty" Jamieson cemented into Goulburn Prison for Life and Victim Janine Balding.

Criminal's DNA filed under relative's name
The New South Wales Opposition is calling for an investigation into claims that police have entered DNA data for serious offenders under incorrect names.

DNA fingerprinting 'no longer foolproof'...
The genetic profiles held by police for criminal investigations are not sophisticated enough to prevent false identifications, according to the father of DNA fingerprinting.

THE BUTLER DIDN'T DO IT!
PROFESSOR BARRY BOETTCHER: Now, there should be a law enacted within Queensland so that when cases come up like this they can be brought to attention and if an appropriate authority such as a judge of your Supreme Court considers that it merits further inquiry, an inquiry be ordered.

'Rape' officer clears his name
UK: A former policeman has been cleared of rape after protesting his innocence for 15 years. Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that Brian Kelly, 47, had suffered a miscarriage of justice over crucial DNA evidence.

New unit investigates unsolved deaths?
A new police unit has been established to investigate more than 360 unsolved deaths in New South Wales, with many of the deaths dating back more than 30 years.

Prisoner's bid for review denied
Prisoner Roger Cheney has lost a Supreme Court action to have a judicial review of his 1993 convictions an 30-year jail sentence. Justice Shaw said he was concerned about the prisoner's claim that DNA evidence held by the police could prove his innocence. Although Cheney had requested the results of the DNA tests, he had been denied access to the forensic analysis.

QLD Prisoners DNA Bid THE curious case of Queensland's "cat lady" murder is set to test the state's legal authorities again, with the man convicted of the killing asking the Attorney-General to take the unprecedented step of releasing blood samples for DNA retesting.

Database clears up crimes?
NSW Police Minister John Watkins said at the launch of a Sydney conference of international forensic experts meeting to mark 100 years of fingerprinting in NSW. He said the collection of DNA from prisoners and suspects in NSW during the past two years had led to more than 5,400 matches on the forensic database.

A Question of Innocence
Katrina Bolton: The promise of DNA freeing the innocent as well as convicting the guilty has been repeated by politicians across Australia, usually while DNA laws are being expanded. The promise was made as a national DNA database, ‘Crimtrac’ was created, and it was made as NSW introduced legislation giving unprecedented powers to take DNA samples from prisoners, by force if necessary.

Weak Carr Government suspends Innocence Panel
It's a callous disregard for justice! The panel takes applications from convicted prisoners for DNA evidence to be analysed a move that may help in a future court appeal.

JUST BEAT IT! Govt lauds crime-solving technology?
The New South Wales Government says advances in crime solving technology are helping the progress of hundreds of police investigations.

DNA testing causes debate in murder case
The use of voluntary DNA testing in the investigation of a murder case in New South Wales has been applauded by victim support groups who are ill informed about the process said Justice Action's spokesperson Gregory Kable.

Abolition of double jeopardy law a political stunt: NSW Opp
Why draconian laws? What about the re-trial by media that goes along with it? Twice shy?

ARE YOU INNOCENT?
The NSW government has finally appointed somebody (Justice John Nader) to head up its Innocence Panel and has produced leaflets and forms for people convicted of serious crimes (eg murder) to apply for DNA testing if they believe it may help prove their innocence. You can get the info by phoning 1300 881 717 or writing to the panel at GPO Box 45 Sydney NSW 2001.

Is the Westminster System flawed?
Most people would say Lady Di got the boot and NSW has so much trouble getting the Innocence Panel moving. I said hey, what's going on!

Murder charge first for DNA data bank link, but not the same as solving the murder Mass DNA testing of prisoners has 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. The Herald reported 25 Nov 02 "a DNA saliva swab led to the charging of a former prisoner with the bashing murder of a woman. Police had been unable to find any witnesses or suspects following the murder in Sydney's inner city two years ago. Detectives had admitted they faced a tough job finding the killer."

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.

DNA yours or mine?
Now they have isolated two genes that they say tells you if you're more likely to be depressed. What does that mean? It could mean that you should stay in jail because you are more likely than not to continue your offending behaviour according to a Department of Corrective Services Forensic Psychiatrist.

DNA = Do Not Assume - DNA Controversies!
The national DNA database of all known offenders proposed by Prime Minister Tony Blair could mean that innocent people will be accused of crimes they did not commit.

DNA Evidence of Bipartisanship
Last week the U.S. Congress passed the Justice for All Act, which includes provisions of the Innocence Protection Act. As of this posting, the legislation has not yet been signed by President Bush. Attached is an analysis of the legislation prepared by the Justice Project.

DNA - A Shadow of Doubt
One case points to misinterpretation of evidence that helped put a man behind bars. The other shows just how easy it is to plant falsely incriminating DNA evidence. As our forensic techniques become ever more sensitive, so the possibility of abuse continues to grow.

Halliburton's Ancient Scandals

Our current scandal among scandals is Cheney's Halliburton

In the world of corporate scandals, the story breaks, there is a frenzy of reportage, a culprit in the lower levels of upper management is thrown to the SEC and then, slowly, the story dies.

It is helpful, of course, if the company changes its name or vanishes into respectability: such as Union Carbide's metamorphosis into Dow Chemicals after its corporate terrorism in Bhopal (1984).

Our current scandal among scandals is Cheney's Halliburton - the payoffs, the price gouging, and the contracts. Forgotten in this melee is how the, [war criminal], Bush administration saved Halliburton from doing an Enron nose-dive in the Fall of 2001.

Diligent reporting from Dana Milibank of the Washington Post and Jordan Green of the Institute for Southern Studies revealed the news of Halliburton's special treatment by the Bush administration, but because of the fog of, [the false flag call to arms], 9/11, few cared. What does all this pettiness matter in the face of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)?

[The Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East.]

In the Fall of 2001, both Halliburton and Enron lost value on the stock market, both availed themselves of Arthur Andersen's special skills, and both seemed poised for trouble. Andersen, it turned out, helped Halliburton boost its books by postponing losses and counting uncollected money as revenue.

So called "unbilled receivables" allowed Halliburton to carry $234 million in disputed claims in 2001 (twice the amount from the previous year). Halliburton and Andersen changed the rules on "unbilled receivables" when Cheney was its CEO. When Cheney moved to Bush's side, his second-in-command, David Lesar, took over the firm. Before Lesar joined Halliburton, he was a senior partner in Andersen.

Additionally Halliburton was in the midst of potentially lethal lawsuits over its use of asbestos. On December 7, 2001 one of Halliburton's subsidiaries, Dresser Industries, lost a liability suit for its use of asbestos in its products. Halliburton's shares plummeted. Asbestos suits had already bankrupted insulation and roof manufacturers Johns Manville and Owens Corning, and even with its $2 billion liability insurance, Halliburton looked weak.

Lesar told the press, "There has been a huge overreaction to these events." An attorney who has made it his business to make money on asbestos, however, said, "Halliburton has been able to go under the radar without making big payments because we were focused on the other defendants. Now that some of those other companies are bankrupt, people are starting to look more closely at Halliburton."

Bad accounting practices and a weak flank on the asbestos issue left Halliburton vulnerable. During his tenure as its CEO, however, Dick Cheney had crafted a close relationship between the firm and big government. He saw to it that $3.8 billion per year transferred from the taxpayers to Halliburton via the Pentagon. His links to the emirates in the Gulf enabled Cheney to win the contract to quell the oil fires in Kuwait.

Cheney's ties to the UN bureaucracy enabled Halliburton to refurbish Iraq's oil refineries through the oil-for-food program. When asked about his work in Iraq, he reported, "The good Lord didn't see fit to put oil and gas only where there are democratic regimes friendly to the United States." Halliburton became the commercial wing of US foreign policy.

The skills to build bases and forward military posts came from Halliburton's expertise in the manufacture of prisons within the US. Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), Halliburton's subsidiary, is the second largest player in prison design and construction within the US. The prison boom of the 1990s boosted Halliburton.

Halliburton could have slipped down the precipice after Enron, but its close ties to the government meant it survived and flourished.

In late December 2001, Business Week offered the following cynical assessment of Halliburton's exposure on the asbestos scandal: "Halliburton does have a potential escape hatch. The idea of limiting asbestos liability has been kicking around in Congress for years. And the company has contributed more than $100,000 to legislators who supported the notion. Cheney even kicked in $13,500 when he was a corporate officer. Now that he is in power, many analysts hope the company will benefit from favorable legislation."

In January 2002, rumors filled the business press that the Bush administration would aggressively push its tort reform plan and cap asbestos lawsuits. Halliburton's stock rose by 43% in mid-January. As the Dow Jones News Service noted, "Companies under the cloud of potential asbestos liability saw their bonds gain Friday on speculation that President Bush may address the question of mounting asbestos litigation."

Halliburton won a reprieve. In late December 2003, once the parent company had taken control of its Enron-like situation, two subsidiaries with the most exposure on the asbestos issue filed for bankruptcy, leaving unhappy insurance companies with over $2 billion in payments.

The main government assistance for Halliburton came from the flood of contracts to build forward bases for the Fifth Afghan War.

In December 2001, the Halliburton subsidiary, KBR won a decade-long contract with the Pentagon called the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program. In Pentagon jargon the contract is called a "cost plus award fee, indefinite delivery/indefinite quality service" - or else, as Pratap Chatterjee of CorpWatch put it, "The federal government has an open-ended mandate and budget to send Brown and Root anywhere in the world to run military operations for a profit." The program's details are classified, but the contract runs to almost $1 billion.

In the 1990s, Halliburton earned $2.5 billion for similar work, and the Pentagon spokesperson said that this contract would earn Halliburton substantially more. Of course, the British also chipped in with a $418 million contract for Halliburton to supply tank transporters.

Halliburton's Lesar, who bagged a compensation package of $11.3 million in 2001, boasted, "Augmenting our military troops with contractor-provided support has proven to be an invaluable force multiplier." In other words, the US government provided the bailout to prevent an Enron-like burnout. Cheney, who walked away with $20.6 million from his sale of Halliburton stock and who receives a $1 million annual deferred compensation salary while Vice President, must surely have been aware of the events at his former firm.

Angry at the GAO request for information, Cheney told his friends at Fox, "Can you imagine an FDR or Teddy Roosevelt, in the midst of a grave national crisis, dealing with the problems we're having to deal with now, over here on the side of a matter of political expediency, trading away a very important principle of the presidency?" The principle is secrecy, not for the national interest, but for the interest of the plutocratic chamber of commerce.

The present history of Halliburton shows us that scandals do not effect its market position, because all those who invest know that HAL shines - if there is any problem, it will be bailed out. Bush & Co. tossed Enron to the wind; Halliburton keeps them warm. These scandals are the battles that Halliburton will face as the administration's key commercial ally in the GWOT, as probably the largest partner in the Coalition of the Willing, [Killing.]

By Vijay Prashad posted 20 February 04

Related:

Protesters arrested during PM's Tas visit
Two people have been arrested at the start of the, [war criminal], Prime Minister's visit to northern Tasmania. John Howard was met by the protesters in Launceston this morning. Howard is in northern Tasmania to boost the profile of the Liberals' two new federal candidates for Bass and Braddon.

Australia: War Anthem
Australians all let us give voice, For we have gone to war, And just like Vietnam before, We're not sure what it's for, But Uncle Sam said "Jump", And so our PM said "How high?"

Australia: Drawing the line for trade
Once upon a "lifetime" there was, [war criminal], Prime Minister named John Howard. Dollar signs lit up in his eyes when he was told that if he got involved in the Iraq war and aligned the Australian Government with the Coalition of the Killing, US and the UK then the money he spent would be returned in a once in a lifetime Free Trade Agreement with the US.

JUDGEMENT: HOWARD'S WAR CRIMES
Howard Vs Regina in Canberra the Capital Territory of Australia- Friday January 30 2004. Would the defendant please stand while I read out the judgement of this court.

Australia: The gospel according to Farr
Howard said, "The teacher unions a year ago encouraged teachers to discuss the war on Iraq in the classroom that was code for attacking the Government's position."

War criminal Howard defends 'Son of a bitch'
[War criminal], Prime Minister John Howard, says the government would be "recklessly negligent" if it did not consider joining the United States' missile defence program, known as "Son of a bitch".

Missile defence program 'will lead to arms race'
A group of Australian doctors opposed to war is warning national security will be compromised by any proposed involvement in the United States' missile defence program 'Son of a bitch'..

Australia buys into 'Son of Star Wars'?
[War criminal], Defence, [? War], Minister Senator Robert Hill says Australia may buy a sophisticated missile system that can destroy other ballistic missiles in space. But Australians want social services, health, and education, not warfare.

Pope calls for sanctions on leaders who violate rights
Leader of the child molesters, Pope John Paul II has called for political leaders who violate human rights to be punished, in a World Day of Peace message released amid worldwide debate over how Saddam Hussein should be brought to justice.

International communities are the losers: Smith
[War criminal], Prime Minister John Howard says Saddam Hussein's capture is a huge relief and a great development for the people of Iraq. Howard says Saddam should face trial in Iraq and he would not oppose the death penalty if it were imposed.

War criminals should be tried: Human Rights
The UN War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague should try George Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard for their part in the coalition of the killing for crimes against humanity.

Who cares wins? Those who inflict or those who endure?
When occupation means war then who cares wins? Not those who can inflict the most, but those who can endure the most, I would have thought.

Coalition of the Killing's alliance against law 'the wrong way'
Australia and Britain [and the Coalition of the Killing], could have agreed that the [resource], wars on Afghanistan, Iraq, and liberty, the proliferation of Security Housing Units, and Detention Centres, can be addressed unilaterally - a trend in the US that is feared all over the world - but must be faced collectively.

A STRUGGLE ON TWO FRONTS: PRISONS & IMPERIALIST WAR
After a war waged by the U.S. military against Vietnam which took the lives of more than 3 million Vietnamese people and more than 58,000 GIs, the U.S. finally withdrew in 1975. It had suffered its first official major military defeat by a united people struggle led by the Vietnamese, along with a mass U.S. anti-war movement.

Police surround protesters outside US Embassy
Thousands of protesters have marched to the Lodge to protest against [war criminal], US President George W Bush's visit. The protesters had rallied outside Parliament House, booing when the president arrived this morning and chanting "go home Bush you war criminal".

Police violent towards peaceful protesters
A protest march in Canberra involving more than 1,000 people has been violated, with some protesters breaking through an unlawful police barricade outside the United States Embassy.

Police cracked up about war criminal protest march
The protesters are about 100 metres from the entrance of Parliament House behind barriers and a long line of police officers. Busloads of protesters from Sydney are still on their way to the site.

Forty Labor MPs sign protest letter to Bush over Iraq
More than 40 Senators and Federal Labor MPs have signed an open letter to [war criminal], US President George W Bush, saying the war against Iraq set a dangerous precedent for the world.

50,000 protesters to turn out for anti-Bush protest
Protesters are expecting a 50,000-strong crowd to rally against issues such as the illegal and degrading, Iraq war and the treatment of prisoners, some renditioned and tortured, at Gunatanamo Bay in Cuba.

David Burchell: Paradox of anti-Americanism
[War criminal] President George W. Bush's trip to our shores today has focused attention on a striking fact - the apparently irresistible rise in hostility among many Australians towards the US.

Sydney Social Forum Oct 24-26
The war on Iraq has signalled an intensifying permanent war on the world's poor, adding more open unilateral military aggression to existing neo-liberal offensives conducted through organisations like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and World Trade Organisation.

Refugee policy, here is a new project: Burnside
The idea is to have thousands of Australian citizens writing to federal parliamentarians asking very simple, but hard, questions about the key aspects of refugee policy. I have devised a letter writing kit for this purpose. I attach a copy. It contains instructions which, are, I hope, fairly clear.

Habib's wife to join Greens protest during Bush visit
The wife of an Australian man imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay has urged the Prime Minister to seek her husband's release when the war criminal, United States President visits Australia this week.

Pilger said White House knew Saddam was no threat
Australian investigative journalist John Pilger says he has evidence the war against Iraq was based on a lie which could cost George W Bush and Tony Blair their jobs and bring Prime Minister John Howard down with them.

Illegal and degrading war crimes: Society on the New World Order (OWN)! While Australia and the US are very distinctive societies war criminal, Prime Minister John Howard and war criminal, President George Bush share core values.

Civil Liabilities: Howard's diversity? I had a dream?
The war criminal, Prime Minister, John Howard, who only yesterday was claiming he was showing diversity has stepped up pressure on the states to support plans to increase the war criminal, Federal Attorney-General's powers to ban terrorist organisations, [scapegoats and patsies for the Coalition of the Killing's illegal and degrading resource wars in the Middle East.]

PM despot diversity shallow and cunning sales pitch
War criminal, Prime Minister, John Howard, says planned visits by the United States and Chinese presidents demonstrate the diversity of Australia's relationships.

US Deputy Sheriff dismisses Indonesian comment that US king of terrorists Deputy Sheriff to the US Prime Minister John Howard says he does not agree with comments by the Indonesian Vice-President Hamzah Haz that the real terrorist is the United States for attacking Iraq.

Americans given deficit of Carr's spin?
Bob Carr joined Richard Butler and other corporate and political leaders to discuss how the rest of the world views the US as well as the superpower's role in the world. [Brain-dead and totalitarian!!]

Beattie starts spreading the news in old New York!
Beattie must think he's king of the hill or top of the heap? This is not a democracy this is blatant war enthusiasm whipped up to ensure that Australia goes to war at the next available opportunity.

When the towns criers rang the bell!
THEY scaled the walls of the Sydney Opera House, sent a strong message to the people of Australia, with their "No War" message and reinforced the will of the people.

Australian way of life now threatened by State Terror
Defence [war criminal] Minister Robert Hill says plans to place about 1,000 army reservists on counter-terrorism duties [? scapegoat duties] do not mean there is a specific threat to Australia.

PM man of steel? Or killer and a thief?
Is JOHN Howard a killer and a thief or a man of steel after he dropped bombs on innocent civilians in order to fix the problem in Iraq for trade agreements with the US? Thousands of children are now dieing of disease.

Thousands march for peace! But does that mean no war?
THOUSANDS of people took to the streets around the country yesterday to march against the war in Iraq and for world peace.

The Empire Strikes Back: Sydney anti-war rally
School children in uniforms, groups of young men and older protesters have gathered on one side of Town Hall while at least 200 police have gathered around the area.

Human shield describes 'sickening' scenes
An Australian 'human shield' who has fled Iraq into neighbouring Jordan has described the sight of bombed out buildings and distraught Iraqis as "sickening".

US disturbed over 'biased' reporting in Arab media! But the US lies to the world! How could anyone describe pre-emptive strikes on a sovereign nation, occupation, genocide, torture, and human rights abuse by the Coalition of the Killing in a positive light?

Coalition force 'surprised' by stiff resistance for food aid
About 4,000-5,000 allied forces have launched what they vowed would be an all-out blitz. "We're going straight through that city," a US Marine officer, who asked not to be named, said. "It will be a Hail Mary with guns ablazing."

Australians don't support US military action: poll
The second Australia-wide poll since the war began has found most Australians disapprove of the United States using military force to depose Saddam Hussein.

Explosions rock Baghdad, jets overhead Iraq
BAGHDAD, March 20 [Rooters] A handful of explosions rocked Baghdad at dawn today as jets roared overhead, Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries opened up and air raid sirens sounded.

AUSTRALIA AT WAR! Moment of death...
"The opening stages of the disarmament of the Iraqi regime [? resource war on Iraq regime] have begun ," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer [should have] said minutes after the strikes. He said Bush would speak at 2.15pm (AEDT).

Hit the road Jack and don't you come back No War, Jack Straw, No War, No War! LONDON: Nick Buxton, organising the protest outside Mr Straw's house, said: "We got the message across that the war is going to have a very huge humanitarian impact and people are angry about this war."

Moment of death 'HoWARd'
JOHN Howard lost the war for public opinion as Australia braces to invade Iraq by the end of the week. With nationwide anti-war protests, and Labor scrapping 30 years of bipartisanship on sending troops overseas, the Coalition has failed all Australians.

War criminal Howard high-jacks HRCA to 'legitimise killing'
The Human Rights Council of Australia (HRCA) says it fears Prime Minister John Howard's comments in support of the execution of [CIA operative] Osama bin Laden show his eagerness to overturn three decades of national opposition to the death penalty.

PM lost in space! Pre-emptive Strikes & Star Wars Defence!!
War criminal PM backs missile defence investigation but he is not on his own. Bob Carr dubbed Darth Vader after draconian laws were introduced in NSW following John Howard's threats to strike first and ask questions later.

Doom gloom and 'Boom' Downer shakes the room?
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Mandela speaks out against Bush, Blair
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Communication is a two way street. Threats and punishment solve nothing and serve none. In fact it is against the law in most countries to threaten or punish a person.

Hill defends decision to attack Iraq: Step by step?
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Pleas for peace ring the globe
Anti-war demonstrators turned out in their hundreds of thousands around the world on Saturday to protest against United States military preparations for an invasion of Iraq.

Not too late for Iraq peace, Blix says
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George Bush's other poodle
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US prepares for trade talks with Australia but it's not worth it!
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First strike and you're out!
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UN charter doesn't reflect new self-defence needs: Hill?
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About Protesting &: Corporate media, Ben English and Rachel Morris who spell their names in capitals? Yes too right! Ordinary people some protesting against the occupation, murder and genocide of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. And you call yourselves reporters? You should hang your head in shame and go get jobs defending those poor innocent people. Shame on you!!!

Howard defends terror alert
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When Johnny comes marching home again: 'hoorah hoorah'
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Give peace a chance
PIERS AKERMAN DT 28 Nov 02: JUSTICE John Dowd should be removed from the bench. His crime? Stupidity. In a breath-taking display of hand-wringing sanctimonious morality, Dowd has condemned the State and Federal Governments' anti-terrorism measures, claiming they erode rights and give encouragement to oppressive regimes.

Ron Woodham my faithful Commissioner?

Well this story was started when I was approached by Carl Asimus. Carl's complaint as an X employ of the NSW Department of Corrective Services in 1984.

During the course of writing this article certain facts seemed to emerge in relation to the running of the NSW Department of Corrective Services back in 1984. After writing this article I was approached by Richard Charles Glass who also had some things to complain about during his service as a Corrective Services Officer.

Taking into account that one of the people mentioned in the article was Rotten Ron Woodham as he is known to most people the current NSW Commissioner of Corrective Services, I thought the story in this case was significant enough to post because of the issues raised in Mr Glass's complaint.

And you will read with shock and horror what this man has to say and how it impacted on his life forever as follows:

The trouble is you get less than what you give the likes of Woodham, he wins every time! Always a win win to you, but he gets the meat and you get the scraps made to look like meat.

Brett Collins co-ordinator Justice Action really had guts and got the job done, if I were him I would reflect. Walk out of this situation and get a shitty office with a phone and, a computer, a few fruit boxes and start from scratch, get back to basics and the real issues. Get back inside (visiting prisoners) but with that toughness which appears to have been stolen through mediation. They have you thinking you are really getting the job done. I don't think so!

The Departments have all the senior legal staff, they have the brightest minds in the country and others who are willing to get their hands dirty to get the job done. They have the law and legislation which they can do with as they will, and a budget to blow your minds!

I guess all the rookie legal eagles get warm fuzzies when they think they have had minor victories! You are cutting your teeth and helping people for free, the brightest minds in the future, but not yet. The brightest minds have moved forward each time to their real jobs working for the man!

The likes of this Government knows every keystroke on your computers. They probably have your phones tapped, engineer and structure your organisation /web page by who they let you use and who they keep away. They would encourage you with many little victories to monitor outcomes, who comes aboard and who keeps away, of course if they want you to have someone, they will engineer that as well.

I was an accident, just browsing CQU on Yahoo! and found an article which re-opened Pandora's box.

You people all think they have the right of might, righteous indignation, justice for the poor. Fighting for those who can not get into a position to defend themselves! Holy people undoing their sins of their past and righting wrongs. White Knights and Knighties! Making up for your own past errors in judgement, when none of us had much information to draw upon. We were all ignorant until we made mistakes, some of us learn, some dream on, some never learn! I would not change lives with those who did this to me! How can they live with themselves?

Dream on people, why do you think Rex Jackson, Vern Dalton, Ron Woodham and Roy Foxwell (through an idiot named Johnson, blithering dope!!) surgically removed Richard Glass from the system?

I was too straight, took no bribes, protected prisoners rights at risk of the usual shit one cops from ignorant colleagues. I hate talking about myself in the third party, but I could not be bribed, I could not be controlled, operated under the legislation, rules, and regulations and with moral fibre, which embarrassed them, integrity, which they never understood.

I also defended prisoners rights, the right to have a meal after getting back late from court, medical help night or day, have a phone call, have a visit and not add to the stress of it all. All rights afforded by the rules without jumping through hoops, but likewise nothing extra. No drugs, no brew no extras, no messages to anyone and nothing taken in or out, just entitlements that is all, with fairness and equity.

Dream on, I am amused, I will continue to read as much as I can from, [NSW Community News], and Justice Action, but Brett Anthony Collins had more in one hard days work than anything I have read to date.

Greg you got me, straight to the heart, you got Carl and possibly Glenice, however Glenice is too clever to "bat an eyelid" over this bit of garbage.

The lady is one of the brightest minds in the country and you would not even "smudge her nail polish" with a comment!

I just do not have the time to get involved now, my opportunity was stolen by the above mentioned in 1983! I feel I fought back bravely for one person without Justice Action to help, without Brett Collins, without a union because the delegate assigned to me was, the secretary of Rex Jackson's Branch of the Labour Party.

The department had the media and only allowed me those little victories and some warm fuzzies some times. The battle went on for years, not really a battle just a fish on a hook dangling for all to see on the jetty, while the sharks swam behind the crowd. When they had finished with me I was gone, I had only been there it appears for other purposes, not my own.

No justice, no equity, no integrity. These things will only come when the people concerned move on and retire. The future if we try hard enough now, but there are many stepping up to take their place.

They use the ones they have something on from the past, and promote them, then they own them. If you get them straight up, and take action now, they will not be there to use in the future. Do not make deals, just bring them down as they appear, they won't be on your team in the future they will be on the teams of the likes of Woodham and Foxwell.

They take out people like me straight up, when they know they will never own me. The minute I refused promotion, and the money I was lucky to be alive, not that being alive really matters to me any more, or at this time anyhow.

It is not how long you live, but how you live.!

NO GUTS NO GLORY!!! Can I say all you would get from me is your entitlements and nothing more. Consider that because you know how hard they can make it. I was that reliable guy, the one when your saw me you would know no one is gong to mess up this visit, or that phone call, your mail will get through and left alone ! Your meal would be ok! And safe to eat if you got back from court after close of kitchen, It would not have been spat in or interfered with!

The question is do you really want someone like Mark Latham running the country? Consider what we know today and what I know about the past.

The Carr government set up Vern to watch over Ron. The Wran government had them as a team. I can only explain that as simple but the thought of one of the boys becoming Prime Minister or President of this Country is scary!

I knew Vern Dalton and Rex Jackson and I live in CQU. Glenice Hancock is Head of CQU in my town. I rang and asked after reading your article!

I have never recovered from my experiences either, and they promoted the people who were wrong, I lost my career! Can we exchange notes ? Maybe my investigation can be re-opened.

I have re-read and recollected. Walker, Lander, Jackson and Wran? That explains the line marking! Neville Wran was not guilty of any impropriety, perhaps he may have just not listened. You know, hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil! His position as Premier at the time however afforded great opportunity for his greedy colleagues.

My ex-wife was adopted, I re-united her with her family, Leon Punch had organised the adoption of her brother and sister to his own sister.

Leon Punch was uncle Leon ! Leon Punches brother-in-law was John Batten, Director of Air Italia Air Lines and he also wrote the Charter for the island of Naru. My brother in law married the daughter of the head of the National Party in New Zealand.

The corruption investigation was started by Ron Woodham and I was #1 on the hit parade, the end result was me fighting back for seven years to clear my name. I was the guy on Today Tonite, Good Morning Australia, Terry Willissee, week long expose on channel Ten with Tony Dickinson, Andrew Sore on the ABC and every newspaper in existence.

Do not wimp out on me at this point, It appears now (after you speaking out for the first time) I was used as a smoke screen in an attempt to cover-up the early release scheme, and the guys who toasted me and my life are now Superintendents. I was set up by Ron Woodham and Roy Foxwell (maybe the Foxwell).

I had not made any allegations, but had conducted searches of areas where I knew corruption was going on. After a successful bust, I was treated like you and told not to search the gaol again. I refused and a notice was placed in the gate area ordering me to give 24hrs notice in advance of any search I would conduct.

There were four murders in a ten month period inside Parramatta Gaol, the officers were only interested in what they could steal and were not doing their jobs, OR THEY WERE AFFRAID TO WORK IN THAT GAOL.

There was an officer (my course) gunned down in his home, another officer had a heart attack after firing on an escapee. The escapee was to be number five, he was later found dead while in hiding. There were up to ten almost deaths in total before I snapped. I could go on, but it would bore you.

Ed: No it wouldn't Richard

Richard: I also had a white commodore drive up alongside me on my way home from duty, the window wound down and what looked like a shotgun was pointed at me. I was at the Bourbon and Beefsteak Bar at Kings Cross around that time!

My ex-brother in law (adopted) was a Senior Superintendent, John Baxter, he spoke with an ex-prisoner who had just been released. The occasion was a bucks party for a brother in law to be, there may have been another agenda by the Superintendent though, and that relative of mine Kenny, he worked in the hospital/clinic at Parramatta Gaol. The ex-prisoner was attending the door from the inside and was packing a firearm! That Brother-in-law later also had a Nervous Breakdown!

I was also offered $50,000 to get out and shut-up, then more than money $50,000 plus a high paying career. The trouble was I did not know anything! I had no information, I was set-up and labelled a Super Grass and they attributed allegations, which I knew nothing about, things, which occurred, before I even arrived at Parramatta Gaol! I refused the money and my life has been shit. Who has thee power to do that?

Vern Dalton was connected to Jackson, I found Vern an honest reliable and determine to fix my problems. I conducted my own investigation and went to the media, it was too late I had already been de-famed by the allegations made by Foxwell in the media. I was black banned from the gaol and literally transferred to Probation and Parole my Supervisor was John McAvoy and snr was Neil Austin (ex-priest). I had a breakdown and have never recovered. I was even down to my last dollar and had plastic second hand outdoor furniture (my only furniture) slept on the floor, and had no job a few years ago.

I had to hide my family and children (death threats) at Central coast NSW while I investigated some real corruption, my life had also been threatened and attempts had been made. It was Barbara Kemp and the media who probably saved my life, my life has been just awful, almost as if they followed every attempt I made to have a career and squashed it.

You cannot work out the connections! I know. You are wrong! But I will ring this Woman for my own benefit next week and let you know.

I was removed from Probation and Parole then later went to Centrelink and got worked over again, exactly like you in that office. Exactly what you say Glenice did to you, on both occasions. On the second occasion it was Michael Knight MP shithead extraordinaire! (Campbelltown Centrelink) and the Knights of the Southern Cross. Holy Family Ingleburn and Campbelltown.

The Holland family was well known to the Holy Family clan, and John had attended a number of secret Knights of the Southern Cross meetings in the back of churches, dressed in garb to look like scrubbers not knight's. These occurred in Ingleburn and Campbelltown, John was like a brother to me, we were mates from my first career (17y/o). He warned me a number of times! He now lives in CQ near me.

If you can help me let me know, I will also name names, but am sworn to secrecy on other issues. As you can interpret I am a serious person and real. Glenice will get a call or a visit, but you in my opinion have it all wrong. This woman and Vern Dalton were not responsible for what happened to you!

Factor that information to your scenarios, rethink the whole program. I was on my way to an honest million at age twenty- nine, but finished up penny-less at age 42years, caused by these people and what they did to my health. I will never recover but we both suffer PTSD obviously, caused by the same people at the same time!

Two Barristers (I was told they are now) Daryl Gay Law and Alan O'Connor Commercial Law were officers studying law who worked with me and supported me, find them and ask! O'Connor was working for a chain of Motels McNevins I think in Brisbane's SE Qld. Daryl was smarter he would be with a Sydney Law Firm for sure.

Corrective Services NSW 1980-1985.

What kind of treatment can cause this kind of psychological damage to a person after 22years! I re-call a Police Constable's story, Mr Philip Arrantz!! He spoke out against police corruption in the early 70's or late 60's. He was still affected when I spoke with him. He told me he was sent for two weeks compulsory examination in a mental hospital, that was a standard of the times! The message to the public was it is ok: he is just having a breakdown, gone a little mad!

This prepared me for what was to follow, I expected to be admitted to show I suffered no mental illness. I spoke with Philip at Long Bay Gaol. It was about mid-day and it had been arranged by allegedly the PSA union and allowed by the superintendent Mr Eric Quarmby to let me know what might happen, prepare me so as to speak.

I was a young lion, but naive and gullible obviously trusted the Justice system. I defended victims whether they were in green or blue. What about if the likes of the Corrective Services 1980-1985, who were so paranoid about what they thought you know, they did the same thing in the 80's.

How about being recommended to the Northside Clinic in (Greenwich ?) North Sydney, where conveniently a Commissioner of Corrective Services runs the Clinic or has enough power, with his attending staff, including his son to apply Electricity to your brain without your permission or your families consent or knowledge.

How about no-one believing you and how your chart (with another patients) was changed and you were drugged so much you barely knew what was going, I could not breath hardly at all, until your eyes opened in the process! Then they could take away everything, which helped you defend your case, that is sharpness of mind.

Before that occasion I was confused by the corruption and its depth but could defend myself, I had a photographic memory and could speed read 2000 words per minute. I had been an executive staff member for a private international company I had been successful and was considered an entrepreneur.

My continued medication masked the damage done on my return to home. No one suspected I just had continuing re-collection of that event, nightmare and sleeplessness, now epileptic type convulsions.

It was after about 5 days I walked out and refused to return to the clinic, my psych appointed to me Macquarie Street Specialist Dr Jonathon Phillips, told my family it was essential I returned to the clinic for assessment. With that courage, determination, naivety and gullibility I returned did not believe I needed to be there, that's why I walked out !

I was given medication and could not breathe, a nurse was holding my hand and helping me full time. I was trolleyed through a lift and a corridor to a room where the deed was done. The staff were about six on duty, (all the other patients were sleeping (also medicated) and would not have realised they had the wrong person.

The name Ellard rings a bell. Ellard and a son Ellard, some one must have recollection from the honest staff if investigated even today. I have never had a proper sleep cycle since that day, I have never been the same father, husband, son or brother since that day.

Here we are 22years later, angry bitter, suffering every minute of every day and having lost all sensitivity. Financial loss to an entrepreneur like I was would have been Millions at today's standards. Even today barely functioning I can muster up a fraction of what I had and with my new wife's help make smaller things happen.

There is of course a natural healing process, but if you were say given a lobotomy, how well would you ever heal! I was not given a lobotomy but the electricity lifted me off the bed and must have caused irreparable damage.

So how desperate was Jackson and Foxwell! How deep did the conspiracy go and how many people could be relied upon for support. How much did my life mean to them. I have never functioned the same since that visit to the clinic.

So Carl you winging pussy, you could not even speak out? Your information could have helped my case! You still are affected ? Or is it just a malicious campaign against a person that pissed you off? How did it really affect your life and compare this to mine. Show some guts and re-open an investigation you arse wipe. Maybe you are just like them, perusing someone through their life and career, just to get a warm fuzzy. Maybe you have got it wrong.

This to me falls into the category of discovery of information! This new revelation from someone who shut their mouth for 20 years may get a new perspective on my own case. Put up or give up! They obviously held all the cards, I never knew what you did, and Michael Behan never discussed his information with me or you and how many more of us are there? They kept a lid on us all with the same tactics, I just needed a little more attention than you.

How about if the Union was involved, I thought it was Ken Keanen? Ken fought for me and I trusted him, he must have known about other information. I never want to hear that masons protect masons, and cover-up. That did not happen, there may have been officers from all persuasions involved in every aspect. I am a mason and examine my life since that event.

So let's just look at the facts we know about. Was Foxwell the bagman? And how did Woodham and Foxwell come to interview me on that first occasion? Was it legitimate or a smoke screen, I had no information pull up my record of interview from that day. This was the commencement of the undoing of everything, including the very fabric of me as a human being.

Try asking Namal De Silva? I was not a super grass, I did not make allegations at that time. Woodham and Foxwells record of interview lead me to the heart of the allegations. Read the interview, they told me! And as I was getting the blowtorch to the belly anyhow, I took that information and dug up the evidence, after I was defamed by The Sydney Morning Herald 06/03/83.

The staff believed what was written and held meetings to black ban me. One person against a hundred. They were like sheep following some bad union sub branch executives never accused one innocent person, just at that point I was forced into; went on the attack ! The innocent supported the corrupt and caused the grief to themselves, not me.

How do these officers feel now? Are they proud of working over an honest righteous person to help the real crooks cover up their evil deeds, I pity the colleagues who caused me so much grief.

PS) Take a look at the CQU Website and her pledge of honour and integrity. You can forward her this e-mail if you like she would know my psychologist Bruce Accutt, he lectures at HER University.

I hope you are not full of shit because this is the first time I have spoken out in 13years. Don't light a fire you can't put out! Feel free forward this e-mail to Vern Dalton's mentor?

By Richard Charles Glass posted 5 February 04

Central Queenslands University Scam

I am going to relate a story, which will not surprise you but will inform you and others. It is for the students at Central Queensland University that I write the following as I know they have been betrayed by those who selected Glenice Hancock as the Vice Chancellor of that university

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The ABC's Australian Story broke the news last night that political prisoner Brendan Abbott sent no postcards. None!

The Sentencing (crime of murder) and parole reform act 2003
We wish for each and every prisoner to be brought in front of a Judge to have closure on their sentences, a fixed non-parole period on an individual basis, to give these people a chance to be able to rehabilitate and to stop them being used as Political Prisoners.

Prisoners as citizens and duty of care
For a long time now most learned people have been aware of the book Prisoners as Citizens. The Victorian Opposition is outraged at a confidential payout won by a prisoner injured while playing table tennis at the Melbourne Remand Centre because they can't afford the book?

Supporters doubt PM's efforts to release Habib, Hicks
The supporters of two Australian detainees [prisoners] being held [tortured] by the United States at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba say they draw no comfort from [war criminal], Prime Minister John Howard raising the men's plight with [war criminal], US President George W Bush.

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research: Aboriginal Crime
In 2001 more than forty percent of the Aboriginal male population aged 20-24 in NSW appeared before a NSW court charged with a criminal offence. One in ten Aboriginal males in NSW aged 20-24 received a prison sentence.

Long Bay: Corrections Health Services in NSW prisons
Firstly, to call the Prison Health Service a Corrections Health Services is the first identified mistake. Nice names don't take the place of the type of service, they only attempt to cover up for a bad service, when the service is out the door....

Home detention for people who make mistakes
LEARNERS are getting home detention sentences by the State Government diverting people from the anti-social prison system.

MULTICULTURAL SISTERS INSIDE
Sisters Inside is a community organisation that works with women in prison, pre and post release. We challenge the injustices that impact on women in prison, their children and families.

NSW Terrorist Minister leads the way
New South Wales is hosting a two-day conference of state and territory prisons ministers on how to detain terrorists [scapegoats for the Coalition of the Killing's resource war's in the Middle East.]

MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG NEW SOUTH WALES PRISONERS
Anecdotal evidence from staff working in the New South Wales correctional system [prison system] has always suggested a high prevalence of mental illness among the prisoner population.

Yatala Labour Prison Adelaide Going Backwoods: response
Thank you and your team for your support. I have been trying to write you back. However the person has now stopped me from using the computers and education centre and the typewriter has been broken.

On the treatment of prisoners at the NSW HRMU
Prisoners 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).

Review of Justice Ministers claims about conditions at HRMU
Minister for Justice John Hatzistergos stated on 15 July 2003 concerning the prisoners at the High Risk Management Unit at Goulbourn.[Prisoners held in solitary confinement and tortured endlessly in a Supermax Prison at Goulburn.]

Lithgow Prison: This is no Irish joke!
Allow me to introduce myself to you my name is John Smith I am writing to you for your help in regards to Corrective Services Jail at Lithgow, I am a prisoner at this centre and I am serving a long sentence. I originally came from Ireland a number of years ago.

The Ku Klux Klan and Patrick Horan
The State government has logged objections to Patrick Horan a NSW prisoner's planned release, convicted of the manslaughter of a police officer and seriously wounding another. Justice Minister John Hatzistergos says the NSW Parole Board intends to grant parole to Patrick Francis Horan, who committed the crimes near Bathurst in NSW's central west in 1986.

Lithgow prisoners speak out about rations
Some new issues have arisen today. A senior officer called me to the office, as they usually do to inform me of all new local orders etc concerning prisoners. The deputy governor has cut back funds for stores. Officers have been told they will issue only the following: One Toilet roll per week per prisoner One Toothbrush per month One plastic disposable spoon, fork, knife per day prisoner exchange only.

NSW PRISON CORRUPTION AT THE HRMU
The High Risk Management Unit at Goulburn [Solitary Confinement Supermax, Torture, Gulag,] alleged to have been the first Australian jail of the 21st century and the most secure in the Southern Hemisphere (it was claimed in an article SMH 14 May 2001).

The Daily Telegraph licensed to set up prisoners?
A man who smuggled a mobile phone into a Sydney jail and took pictures of stockbroker Rene Rivkin has been sentenced to 400 hours of community service.

International Prisoners Justice Day 2003
Justice Action, Prisoners Action Group and others celebrated this year's IPJD by visiting Silverwater Jail Complex and talking to the visitors as they went in and came out. We handed out copies of the media release and Framed to the visitors (who took them inside!) and showed our support for prisoners and their families, talking through the loud hailer so prisoners inside would be aware of our presence.

Weak NSW Government suspends Innocence Panel
The DNA evidence panel is under investigation and the New South Wales Innocence Panel's operations have been suspended and a review of how it works ordered.

Is Prison Obsolete?
Eileen is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Work UNSW where she teaches and researches in the areas of social policy and social development. She has been the chief researcher, and has also collaborated on projects and publications regarding prisons, the criminal justice system and women, public and social housing and indigenous matters. She has recently completed major research on ex-prisoners, accommodation and social reintegration. Eileen has been active in using research to argue for policy change in the NSW criminal justice field for some years.

Escape proof but not so the prisoners mind
Fewer prisoners escape from prison these days because they're "cemented in" by materials that do not break and by legislation that can keep prisoners in jail until they die. All new prisons are virtually unbreakable. Built out of products like perspex, concrete and steel that have no flexibility and ensure that the prisoners of today take the full brunt of all Department of Corrective Services institutional failures.

Researching post-release options for Indigenous women exiting Australian prisons :HREOC The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission is researching post-release options for Indigenous women exiting Australian prisons. We are particularly interested in examining the accommodation options available to women upon their release from prison.

Parents on the inside leave children on the edge
They have been dubbed the forgotten generation - the innocent casualties of their parents' crimes. New research shows that in 2001 14,500 NSW children had a parent in jail. And 60,000 NSW children under 16 have experienced the incarceration of a parent, more than half enduring the trauma of separation before they turn five.

New video to create empathy in violent criminals?
Violent offenders in New South Wales prisons will be the audience for a new video put together by the victims of crime group, Enough is Enough, but nothing from the ex-prisoners, support groups, like Justice Action, because they don't rate?

Junee Prison, NSW Parliament and Noble Cause Corruption
I have not been charged with any offence. The first thing I knew was when they (the Intel officer) at Junee had me called to reception. I was then told that I was going to segregation for good order and discipline.

Beyond Bars: Sentencing reform
A spokesperson Dr Tim Anderson said, " The law reform commission was too gutless on this a few years back but re-introducing remissions (perhaps under another name) would be a valuable move best wishes".

The Australian Institute of Criminology has released the National Deaths in Custody Program annual report for 2002 Between January and December 2002, there was a total of 69 deaths in custody in Australia. There were 50 deaths in prison custody and 19 deaths in police custody and custody-related police operations.

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.

Inspector General of Corrective Services Debate
Below is our response to Justice Minister Hatzistergos' comments in a debate in Parliament on July 2, 2003 regarding the impending decision about the future of the Inspector General of Corrective Services in NSW.

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
If you ever go to Goulburn HRMU yeah, you better walk right, you'd better not breathe and sure thing better not fight. The next thing you know the SCU gonna arrest you and Rotten Ron send you down and you can bet your bottom dollar Lord, you'll be chaingang bound.

Carr defends prison handling of political PRISONER
Bob Carr should be ashamed of himself after giving the prisons Commissioner Rotten Ron Woodham another filthy job setting up Phuong Ngo as one of the most dangerous prisoners in the State.

DCS: Protection gangs? - Ngo exploited in prison
New South Wales prison officials claim to have disbanded a gang in the Lithgow jail set up to protect convicted murderer, Phuong Ngo.

How the QLD Dangerous Prisoners Act failed the first test
What is dangerous? Everyone is dangerous naturally it really depends on how far a person is pushed. Standing on a mountaintop with someone walking you backwoods towards the edge would promote fight or flight and if there is nowhere to fly but over the edge you may choose to respond. When a person breaks the law they lack social skills or are repressed into breaking the law.

Prison rehab programs in 'disarray': Opp
The New South Wales Opposition says rehabilitation in the state's prisons is in disarray. But the states prisons could never rehabilitate in the first place. So how can it be in disarray? The space station as it is known cannot rehabilitate because it's only a dot on the community map, as it were, in relation to how people were raised.

SENTENCING RIVKIN: BRAIN SURGERY OR SUICIDE?
A proper Sentencing Council, such as the one proposed by the Carr Government, would not have sent Rene Rivkin to jail, locked up as a slave in a box.

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.

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
Seems some of our friends in & around Corrections Health Service (CHS) were able to take advantage of a couple of recognised cases of needle sharing by HIV positive prisoners to gather data for a study.

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.

Victorian (Australia) Juvenile Deaths in Custody & Post-Release has just been published on the British Journal of Medicine Quotes (BJM): "The risk of death was nine times higher in male offenders than in the reference Victorian male population. Although the estimate is unstable because of the small number of deaths, female offenders seemed to be about 40 times more likely to die than the reference Victorian female population."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.