Jail numbers out of control

THE Northern Territory has a higher prison rate than international crime hot spots Kazakhstan, Belarus and South Africa.

The Territory had the highest inmate increase in the country during the past year -- four times the national average.

And the 2005 annual report from the Territory's Justice Department has revealed there is a shortage of jail cells in Darwin.

Berrimah Correctional Facility is at capacity with 400 prisoners.

The annual report shows there was a daily average of 397 inmates.

And the NT Prison Officers Association said the Martin Government should have foreseen the jail cell shortage.

"There has been many times over the past 18 months that there were too many prisoners for the number of jail cells," NT Prison Officer's Association Merg Mikaelian said yesterday.

"Some times there have been as many as 440 and the extra prisoners have to be put in dorms on mattresses. The prison officers do a professional job but it is really stretching our resources."

The Territory's jail rate is 580 per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 154 per 100,000.

Mr Mikaelian said the NT Government should have realised that by boosting police numbers on the street the number of prisoners would increase.

"Obviously they are doing their job which flows on to the court system that has to punish these people," he said.

"They (the Government) should have forseen it."

The association took a vote of no confidence in the Justice Department and Corrections management last month.

"That has not been rescinded," Mr Mikaelian said. "They don't want to listen to us.

"We need more remand cells and medium-security cells -- not the new low-security area that the Government has built."

The low-security area is yet to be opened.

Territory Government spokesman Aaron Ross said the Government was monitoring the situation in terms of prison numbers "very carefully".

"The Government has a number of options for the longer-term management of the prisons," he said.

Mr Ross said the Government was expecting to detail those options in the near future.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Mon, 24 October 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Suellen Hinde and Nicolette Burke
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
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