Stop routinely strip searching young people in prison, NSW Ombudsman recommends

The Human Rights Law Centre is calling on the Berejiklian Government to ban the routine strip searching of young people in NSW prisons following a damning report by the NSW Ombudsman.

The report, tabled in the NSW Parliament yesterday, investigated strip searches conducted at Frank Baxter youth prison. It found that three young people were subjected to full naked body strip searches that were “oppressive” and not justified in the circumstances. Nothing was found as a result of the searches.

The NSW Ombudsman report recommends law reform to prohibit young people being subjected to the kind of strip searches that are conducted in adult prisons.  It also recommends that routine strip searching of young people in NSW prisons be banned.

Monique Hurley, Associate Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said:

“The Berejiklian Government should be horrified by this report. Strip searching is invasive and dehumanising for anyone, and especially for young people. There is no evidence that routinely strip searching young people is effective in identifying contraband, or has a deterrent effect.

“Being forced to remove every last item of clothing, again and again, strips young people of their dignity. Abuse thrives behind bars and overly broad laws that permit routine strip searching can be misused by people in power in prisons where young people are powerless to prevent it.

“There are far more effective and less intrusive ways of checking for contraband, like using x-ray scanners. The Berejiklian Government must ban the routine strip searching of young people in NSW prisons today.”

The traumatic impact of a strip search can be exacerbated by a young person’s history and experience. Almost half the young people in NSW prisons have experienced some traumatic event in their life, with 68 per cent reporting at least one form of abuse or neglect.

The NSW Inspector of Custodial Services supports banning routine strip searches, having repeatedly said that strip searches should not be carried out on young people on a routine basis and should be replaced by a risk-based assessment process.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse also recommended state and territory governments consider implementing strategies for detecting contraband, such as risk assessments or body scanners, to minimise the need to strip search children.

Media contact:

Evan Schuurman, Media and Communications Manager, 0406 117 937, evan.schuurman@hrlc.org.au