Yesterday I spoke about the devastating risks associated with the privatisation of prisons at a rally organised by Deaths in Custody Watch.
WAPOU strongly supports the Deaths in Custody Watch petition that was presented to the WA Parliament at yesterday’s rally.
The petition demanded that the WA Government terminate the contract of G4S – the private company responsible for prisoner transport in WA, and was held responsible for the death of Mr Ward in 2008.
The petition also demands that the WA Government return custodial transport to the public service, thus making it more accountable to the community and to parliament.
Read more in the media here:
It is simply illogical to allow the private sector to continue to transport prisoners when private companies are responsible for the two biggest failures in prisoner transportation to date
These failures include:
• the tragic death of Mr Ward on a long distance journey in 2008
• the escape of nine prisoners from holding cells at the Supreme Court in 2004.
We’ve all seen the consequences of what happens when G4S fails to do the job properly, so I can only ask – is the private sector immune from criticism no matter how poorly the job is performed?
The privatisation of any prison service poses a risk because experience around the globe shows that when prison services are privatised, then jobs are cut in order to maximise profits for the company and its shareholders.
Our justice system should not be run by foreign multinational companies for profit. Prisons and prison services should always be held in public hands; they are the responsibility of the state.
For more about Deaths in Custody Watch: http://www.deathsincustody.org.au
John Welch
WA Prison Officers’ Union
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