This afternoon an open letter was sent to the Australian Governments and posted online. It was signed by a long list of individuals and organisations who are stakeholders in the Criminal Justice System and Prisons. Ruth Parker of our office signed on behalf of our firm. It called for new measures to be put in place to protect and promote the welfare of prisoners. Below is the media release that was prepared by the authors of the open letter, Professors Bartels and Anthony:
FRIDAY 20 MARCH 2020
Limited release of prisoners may prevent COVID-19 break out
Criminal law experts are recommending
the limited release of elderly, young and minor offenders from Australian jails
and detention centres to avoid a preventable COVID-19 outbreak.
Professor Lorana Bartels from The Australia
National University and Professor Thalia
Anthony from the University of Technology Sydney coordinated
an open letter to state and territory governments calling for urgent reforms to
protect the prison population from the global health pandemic. More than 340
legal experts signed the letter.
“Australian prisons and detention
centres will become epicentres for the transmission of COVID-19, if governments
don’t act now,” said Professor Bartels, Program Leader of the ANU Criminology Program.
“Among a range of recommendations, we’re calling
for the early release of vulnerable prisoners and detainees who are at high
risk of harm from COVID-19.”
This includes those with pre-existing health conditions,
the elderly and very young, those detained for summary offences such as
unlawful driving, property crimes and those who are likely to be released in
the next six months.
Professor
Anthony said urgent measures, including the release of prisoners, have been
taken in response to the COVID-19 emergency in the United States, the United
Kingdom, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
“Australian
governments must provide a coherent approach to protect prison populations here
in Australia” she said.
“It is only a matter of time before COVID-19 breaks out
in our prisons and youth detention centres. This will then have a substantial
flow-on effect to the community.”
Professor
Bartels said justice reforms to protect the health of prisoners and the broader
community were essential.
“Prisoners have an acute risk of experiencing
the severe and critical consequences of COVID-19 due to pre-existing health
issues, and the lack of testing and treatment in prisons,” she said.
Professor Bartels said most people who enter
prison are un-sentenced and nearly a third are expected to serve less than 12
months.
“Tens of thousands of people are likely to be
released into the community by the end of the year, making them potential
carriers of Coronavirus back into communities,” she said.
* A copy of the open letter and signatures is provided as an attachment below.
FOR INTERVIEW:
Professor Lorana
Bartels
College of Arts & Social Sciences
Australian National University
T: +61 2
6125 1279
M: +61 4139 92523
E: lorana.bartels@anu.edu.au
Professor Thalia Anthony
College of Law
University of Technology Sydney
M: +61 413 992 523
E: thalia.anthony@uts.edu.auFor media assistance, contact the ANU Media Team
on +61 2 615 7979 or at media@anu.edu.au
