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IBAC report prompts calls for prison system overhaul
Responding to a report that found systemic and serious wrongdoing in private and public Victorian prisons, human rights lawyers have called on the state government to urgently work to prevent further mistreatment by reducing the number of people being funnelled into a “culture of excessive use of force”.
Naomi Neilson
The special report on corrections tabled in Victorian Parliament by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) made a number of findings, including officers at Port Phillip Prison using inappropriate strip-searching practices, failing to activate body cameras and intentionally interfering with recordings.
“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,” she said.
Ms Hurley added that Victoria has some of the most “harsh and dangerous bail laws” that have failed 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,” Ms Hurley commented.
“The Andrews government must also take steps to prevent mistreatment in Victoria’s prisons. Use of harmful, unnecessary and degrading practices like strip searching and solitary confinement must be banned.”
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
