Thursday, 2 May 2019

Corrections system

In reply to Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (21 March 2019)

Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Resources):

The Report on Government Services 2019 shows that Victoria continues to provide prisoners with some of the longest periods of time out of their cells in comparison with other jurisdictions in Australia—particularly in secure prisons where Victoria averaged 10.7 hours out of cells per day compared to a national average of nine hours per day.

Placing prisoners in management or high-security units is restrictive—but it is used as a last resort to ensure the safety and security of prisoners, staff, the prison and the community.

Less than two per cent of male prisoners and less than one per cent of female prisoners are in long-term management placement in Victoria.

Corrections Victoria acknowledges the importance to prisoners of maintaining family ties and friendships to assist them in maintaining their links to the community.

Prisoners may participate in a contact visit program subject to a range of conditions. Contact visits provide a valuable incentive for good behaviour, and loss of access to contact visits is not considered to be a penalty, but rather a consequence of poor behaviour where a prisoner has been found guilty of a prison offence through a disciplinary process.

Contact with children and family is considered a high priority unless unsafe to do so.

Telephone and visit contact with children and family cannot be withdrawn as a punishment for disciplinary offences, except where it is demonstrably justifiable.

Any prisoner who is unable to participate in a contact visit program still retains the right to non-contact visits at least weekly.