NAPNT - Gary’s Drug War Rantz: Resolve the prison crisis

NAPNT - Gary’s Drug War Rantz

Welcome to Gary Meyerhoff's Drug War Rantz. I am one of the founding members of the Darwin-based drug law reform and human rights group the Network Against Prohibition (NAP). I'll be using this blog to post my opinions on the myriad of issues that surround the war on drugs from the perspective of someone who is heavily involved in the Australian and the global drug user movements as well as keeping you up to date with some of the horrendous 'war on drugs' news and more...

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Resolve the prison crisis

The NT Police Association have hit out at plans to lock up prisoners at the Darwin watch house (Police slam jail plans, NT News, July 12, 2004).

A prison source told the NT News about the problem over a month ago (Prisons overcrowded, NT News, June 4).

Members of the Network Against Prohibition share the concern of the police and prison staff.

The Northern Territory has the dubious distinction of having an imprisonment rate nearly as high as the United States.

In fact, the NT imprisonment rate (532 per 100,000) is five times higher than Qatar, Algeria and Myanmar.

This problem could easily be resolved if Clare Martin's Labor Government ordered the immediate release of all non-violent drug offenders from Territory jails.