Anglican Communion News Service

[Anglican Messenger] The Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Uniting Church social justice groups in Perth were quick to welcome the release late last year of the Ombudsman's report into deaths in Western Australian (WA) prisons.

"We appreciate the enormous task Mr Murray Allen and his staff have undertaken over the past three years and welcome the recommendations contained in the report," said Anglican Social Responsibilities Commission spokesperson Theo Mackaay. "It is worth noting that many of Mr Allen's concerns are consistent with issues raised by the Heads of Churches over the past two years."

"It is disturbing, however, to note Mr Allen's comment that 'all these recommendations have been made before'. To this end we trust that the Ombudsman, or the Independent Inspector of Custodial Services, will re-visit the report and assess the implementation of its recommendations on an annual basis."

Mr Allen's report described the issue of overcrowding as "unsustainable", and"unacceptable" and a contributory factor to some of the deaths in prison during the 1990s.

Roman Catholic Social Justice spokesperson, Terry Quinn, said "Overcrowding in prison is an issue of the whole community. We must look at the hard facts and not have just emotional gut reactions to crime in our community.

"In WA, we imprison people at a rate 50% higher than the national average. Indigenous imprisonment rates are intolerable-22 times the non-indigenous rate.

Mr Quinn said that prisons are not a solution to the community's problems when it fails to care for, to educate and to accept low income or vulnerable families in its suburbs and towns.

"Ignoring those who are different from us is dangerous ," he said. "A caring neighbourhood is vital for a good criminal justice system."

"Prisons," Mr Quinn said, "are a measure of social failure: failure to care, failure to look after the most vulnerable among us, and failure to deal properly with the breakdown in relations between neighbours and within neighbourhoods."

The Uniting Church Social Justice Consultant, Rosemary Miller, said "We take on board the responses the Ministry of Justice has already made to the report and the various programs the Ministry has in place to address some of the issues raised.

"We will be watching with interest to see improved outcomes in such areas as health, training, and prisoner management. But above all, we will be looking for reduction in the number of people dying in our gaol, from whatever cause."