Serious systemic wrongdoing exposed in Victorian prisons: IBAC report
The Andrews government must take urgent steps to prevent mistreatment and reduce the number of people being funneled into prisons, the Human Rights Law Centre said today, after a new report uncovered serious and systemic wrongdoing in Victoria’s private and public prisons.
The Special report on corrections tabled in the Victorian Parliament today by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) made a number of alarming findings, including that:
prison officers at Port Phillip Prison used excessive force against two people in prison, one of whom has an intellectual disability;
there is a “culture of excessive use of force” among specialist officers;
prison officers at Port Phillip Prison used inappropriate strip searching practices;
during two critical incidents at Port Phillip Prison, prison officers failed to activate their body worn cameras and intentionally interfered with camera recordings.
Monique Hurley, Associate Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said:
“The Andrews government should be horrified by this report. It demonstrates that abuse thrives behind bars, with prison officers assaulting people in prison, stripping people of their dignity and tampering with body worn camera footage. The report paints a shocking picture of what goes on in prisons, and how human rights are disregarded behind closed doors.
“Instead of building more prisons, the Andrews government should be taking steps to reduce the number of people being funnelled into the prison system in the first place.
“Victoria’s prison population has skyrocketed in recent years due to the bail reforms introduced by the Andrews government in 2018. While the reforms were intended to target men who commit violent offences, they have impacted women experiencing poverty and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women the most.
“Victoria has some of Australia’s most harsh and dangerous bail laws that regularly fail to uphold the most basic tenets of a fair and equal justice system. Time is long overdue for the Andrews government to fix Victoria’s broken bail laws.
“The Andrews government must also take steps to prevent mistreatment in Victoria’s prisons. Use of harmful, unnecessary and degrading practices like routine strip searching and solitary confinement must be banned.”
Media contact:
Michelle Bennett, Engagement Director, 0419 100 519, michelle.bennett@hrlc.org.au