Mr AH KIT - 1998-04-28
The Chief Minister made great pronouncements about punitive work orders being another instalment in the Country Liberal Party administration's crime strategy. Punitive work orders have been in existence for over 12 months. The truth is that no funds were allocated to implement the regime. Corrections staff have been telling courts that there is no scope to create or supervise punitive work orders because the Country Liberal Party government has provided no funds. Why not?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the honourable member is totally incorrect in what he says. In the Department of Correctional Services, various programs come under the heading of community work programs. They are virtually identical to punitive work orders, whereby a group ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr POOLE: There are various differences in staffing levels etc needed to control people who are sentenced to punitive work orders.
Interestingly, an earlier question related to prisoner numbers and the success of initiatives like mandatory imprisonment. If mandatory imprisonment is not such a great success, I ask members of the opposition how it is that the number of people in jail, which peaked at 659 prisoners on 28 September 1997, now seems to be averaging out to about 600 prisoners at any one time. The prison population has dropped by some 50 or 60 people.
I discussed the programming of punitive work orders with the Commissioner of Correctional Services last week. The regime will be operational in the main centres of the Territory. It is not practicable to use punitive work orders in the smaller communities. They will operate initially in Alice Springs and Darwin, as community service orders are at this very moment. There is virtually no difference in management, apart from the numbers of wardens required to manage the prisoners while they are out and about in the community doing work. The effect is to reduce expenses on community projects in the towns. As I said in the House last week, costs are reduced by some $12 000 a week in a city such as Darwin and by about $10 000 a week in a town like Alice. They have done some tremendous work in the community programs. We will receive whatever the magistrates send us through the court system. I do not foresee any problems eventuating from the program.
Page 211
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the honourable member is totally incorrect in what he says. In the Department of Correctional Services, various programs come under the heading of community work programs. They are virtually identical to punitive work orders, whereby a group ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr POOLE: There are various differences in staffing levels etc needed to control people who are sentenced to punitive work orders.
Interestingly, an earlier question related to prisoner numbers and the success of initiatives like mandatory imprisonment. If mandatory imprisonment is not such a great success, I ask members of the opposition how it is that the number of people in jail, which peaked at 659 prisoners on 28 September 1997, now seems to be averaging out to about 600 prisoners at any one time. The prison population has dropped by some 50 or 60 people.
I discussed the programming of punitive work orders with the Commissioner of Correctional Services last week. The regime will be operational in the main centres of the Territory. It is not practicable to use punitive work orders in the smaller communities. They will operate initially in Alice Springs and Darwin, as community service orders are at this very moment. There is virtually no difference in management, apart from the numbers of wardens required to manage the prisoners while they are out and about in the community doing work. The effect is to reduce expenses on community projects in the towns. As I said in the House last week, costs are reduced by some $12 000 a week in a city such as Darwin and by about $10 000 a week in a town like Alice. They have done some tremendous work in the community programs. We will receive whatever the magistrates send us through the court system. I do not foresee any problems eventuating from the program.
Page 211
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016