25 May 2009

Do we want NSW's prisoners in the Hume Hilton?

| johnboy
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The Liberals’ Jeremy Hanson is asking why there’s been no planning to sell spare beds at the new prison to over-crowded NSW.

Which is funny considering Mr Hanson has spent the last month telling us the prison was unfit to house anyone.

Leaving that aside, do we want to fill the prison to full capacity right away? And do we want NSW’s prisoners in it?

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Now that it’s out there, could we be sued for not letting NSW prisoners in? Human Rights you know 🙂

Well haven’t the muppets done well with the news that AMC is almost bursting at the seams. Last year the crimes reported the ACT government had dismissed a 2001 report urging it to build a vastly larger prison and had instead cut costs to build a 300-bed at a cost of $128 million.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/canberra-prison-remains-close-to-capacity-20140205-320zc.html

Bloody good thing we’ve got a limp wristed judiciary or they’d be pitching tents….

It’s an excellent idea, make some money instead of wasting money having it sit half empty. They could charge NSW a human rights premium too.

I think we ought to bring some outside bucks in. VG is correct, they’ll be lining up.

Clown Killer9:20 pm 25 May 09

It would be pretty convenient for people of weekend detention … they could just walk over from Jerrabomberra, and it would be close for their mates in Fadden and Macgregor to visit them.

As the current Superintendent (or whatever he’s called) of the prison said, he stuck to this line of work as he knew he’d NEVER be out of a job.

Sell ’em to NSW…..they sell ’em to us

Prisons are a recession proof industry. Build more prisons here, expand AMC to its planned future maximum (and beyond), flog the beds off to any other state that will pay, and hire more locals to guard them. Oh, and work hard at reducing recidivism and custodial sentences for locals that don’t pose much threat to society so that we have more beds to flog off to the states.

Jobs are jobs. Revenue is revenue.

Wasn’t the plan to encourage the ACT judiciary to hand out more custodial sentences by having this facility available?

JB, I suspect if the ACT Courts began handing out custodial sentences all of a sudden because the prison* was opened for business, there would be appeals against sentencing out the wazoo, and very likely to be justified. I think if the ACT Courts wish to start on custodials without tying up higher court times, they would need to step up sentencing in gradual steps to prevent such appeals taking place. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see it happen, but not without the risk of reduced sentences continuing to cause community outrage…as I see it.

*I will call this a prison as you have in your OP, not a ‘alexander machonohie centre’ because I believe in calling it what it is.

can just see it now………fill the prison with nsw criminals and then have no room for ACT criminals! i know how to solve it – build yet ANOTHER prison

TP 3000 said :

I would of thought that there already are NSW Residents in Hume Gaol. As aren’t most of those convicted of crimes commited in the ACT from NSW anyway?

Awwww that’s below the belt …..

I think the NSW crims would be clamouring to come to our prison, than their own !!!!

Skidbladnir said :

We already do some kind of reciprocity arrangement with NSW re: Queanbeyanites (ie: New South Welshmen) in Canberra Hospital, provided the ACT Gaol can support the extras and still provide for the usual ACT incoming prisoners and allow for sentences in line with community expectation, it could work.

Anyway heaps of undesirable characters drive into Canberra every day. And when they go home they tell us how lousy we are and how we should run the place. Unfortunately it’s not a crime .

I would of thought that there already are NSW Residents in Hume Gaol. As aren’t most of those convicted of crimes commited in the ACT from NSW anyway?

neanderthalsis10:58 am 25 May 09

Considering that NSW prisons have been taking the hardened ACT crims for some time (those that are unfortunate to get a custodial sentence), I think it’s fair that NSW can send some of their crims to AMC if the cells are available.

We already do some kind of reciprocity arrangement with NSW re: Queanbeyanites (ie: New South Welshmen) in Canberra Hospital, provided the ACT Gaol can support the extras and still provide for the usual ACT incoming prisoners and allow for sentences in line with community expectation, it could work.

We write the contracts. It wouldn’t be immediate, but you might have a certain time period. Surely you’d still have a buffer. I’m just saying if we can take a bit more, then we should – just don’t take so many that the whole thing is overcrowded.

Of course, I realise there’s a history of poor contract writing around the public service…

I’m pretty sure we won’t be able to just throw them back when they’re inconvenient.

If it gets full, you can send the New South Welshmen back to a NSW gaol. These things hardly happen overnight.

Wasn’t the plan to encourage the ACT judiciary to hand out more custodial sentences by having this facility available?

Kind of scuppers it if you’ve filled it to the gills for a cheap buck.

do we really care where they came from? if the infrastructure is there, use it.

If the beds are there, why not use them? It’s a waste otherwise.

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