By ANDREW FRASER
“It was all better in the good old days”
How often do we hear the refrain?
When it comes to criminal justice, and especially the conditions of imprisonment, we are, in my view, undoubtedly now in a better, more-enlightened place than the bad old days of Grafton, with its infamous brutality and riots and Goulburn, with its role as home to the “worst of the worst”.
While problems remain, generally prisons are much improved. Canberra has had a prison only since 2008 and it has always operated in one of the few human-rights jurisdictions in the nation.
But, make no mistake, it has its problems. See some of our reports on it: Absence of care: AMC prison a drug “supermarket”; force applied with “regularity”, report staff | Pearls and Irritations; Just say yes, Minister. It’s prison reform made simple | Pearls and Irritations; Clean slate for prison reform | Pearls and Irritations
But, while not perfect, the ACT’s prison is among the better ones in the nation, in my view.
One new idea benefiting all those from our community who must serve time, and those who love and support them, is About Time, the national prison newspaper.
This landmark publication carries much material about prison conditions and services, being at once informative for those who didn’t know what was available to them, and a watchdog on those with the keys.
And it carries much from those inside themselves.
It is a truly instructive read, especially for those who have fortunately not had any experience of the criminal-justice system, but who vote and need to be aware of how we treat the most despised section of our community – because that is how our compassion as a nation can be truly measured.
Over coming weeks and months, a number of our blogs here will include short pieces drawn from material in About Time.
But, better than looking at those snapshots, why not Subscribe and Donate directly?