JourneyOnline
The Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland Rev Dr David Pitman has called on the Premier to reconsider the construction of a new Super Prison.
“I am dismayed at the determination of the government to proceed with the construction of a 4000 bed prison,” Dr Pitman said.
This is the worst way of dealing with the corrective services needs of Queensland and the desire to build more prison beds rather than looking at alternatives for dealing with criminal behaviour shows a short-sighted approach.
“Simply incarcerating people fails to deal with the root causes of crime and does not decrease the likelihood of persons re-offending.
“The current corrective services system fails to deal adequately with the rehabilitation of prisoners which in turn undermines the long-term safety of the community.”
Dr Pitman believes that alternative approaches to correctional services should include a greater emphasis on restorative justice such as victim-offender mediation, pre-release programs, post-release housing and support, and diversionary programs for young offenders.
“All of these models have shown to result in a decrease in re-offending rates and would lessen the need for more and more prisons.
“The economic arguments put up by the government with regard to a Super Prison also represent a false economy because they fail to take into account the total impact on the surrounding community,” Dr Pitman said.
Dr Pitman said there has been no evidence produced assessing the impact on the community of large numbers of prison families moving to the area surrounding the prison.
“The significant welfare, health, school and police services required have not been adequately canvassed by the Government.”
Photo : Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland Rev Dr David Pitman
