NCJ Number
74345
Date Published
1980
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper briefly reviews the history, administration, personnel recruitment and training, and current problems of corrections in Papua New Guinea.
Abstract
Considering the history of the island, under Australian authority for most of this century, it is not surprising that the penal system has been developed along the lines of the system in Australia. Papua New Guinea assumed a penal identity apart from Australia only in 1955, when a directive was issued for the External Territories, giving them custody of native prisoners. Correctional service is today one of the arms of the Justice Department under its own ministry. There are three main types of corrective institutions: four major central corrective institutions, eight central institutions, and eight major area institutions. The country has standardized recruitment procedures for correctional officers on a national basis. A 6-month basic recruit training course is followed up by on-the-job experience and additional training for correctional officer cadets which includes short courses in such subjects as animal husbandry, finance, clerical, and others. The status of correctional officers equates with that of officers of the public service, with most officers belonging to a professional association for public servants. The most pressing problem facing corrections in Papua New Guinea is the building of correctional facilities as permanent constructions to replace those which are merely temporary shelters. Implementing a full scale rehabilitation program will depend on the development of more adequate, permanent facilities.