Current Issues in Correctional Treatment and Effective Countermeasures: Overcrowding of Prisons, the Management of Women, Foreign Prisoners and Those Convicted of Drug Related Offences: An Australian Perspective (From UNAFEI Annual Report for 1999 and Resource Material Series No. 57, P 207-247, 2000

• NCJ Number: 195943
• Author(s): Luke Grant
• Date Published: September 2001
• Length: 41 pages
• Corporate Author: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
• Sale Source: United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Description
• Language: English
• Country: Japan

Annotation

This document provides information on prison overcrowding, trends in prison populations, and managing women, foreign, and drug-using inmates in Australian prisons.

Abstract

One explanation of prison overcrowding is the deterministic approach, which points to factors outside the criminal justice system, such as unemployment, the decline in the use of psychiatric hospitals, and the influence of capacity. The second explanation involves the impact of policy choices and attitudes within the criminal justice system, such as law and order policy platforms, levels and effectiveness of policing, activity of courts, loss of faith in rehabilitation, moral panic, and court sentencing practices. A case study of New South Wales is presented to illustrate factors contributing to inmate population increase. An understanding of the causes of the increasing prison population is a necessary precursor to developing strategies to deal with it. This includes developing models to predict future trends. Some ways to reduce inmate population is to reduce the number of people in full time custody, the use of alternatives to imprisonment, pre-sentence reports, fines, probation orders, community service orders, and home detention orders. Women in custody confront different issues than men. Programs that are devised specifically for women should take account of women’s needs and responsivity. Their greatest needs are for treatment of substance abuse problems, trauma, basic education and vocational training, and parenting skills. The most commonly mentioned management problem with women was in the area of classification and screening, which were not adapted to women or useful in matching women’s needs for programming. Part of the response to drug use in prison must include the action to eliminate drug trafficking into prisons. Positive outcomes for drug treatment programs have been for intensive therapeutic community intervention, methadone maintenance, and cognitive behavioral programs. The challenges of having non-English speaking inmates include communication barriers, providing religious and cultural activities, and accommodating specific dietary requirements. Interactive training programs designed to inform staff about the special needs of prisoners from non-English speaking backgrounds are available. 7 tables, 32 footnotes, 3 appendixes