Separate women’s prison system in Queensland

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34100, 12 March 1976, Page 5

Separate women’s prison system in Queensland

(jVeu> Zealand Press Association—Copyright) BRISBANE, March IL The State of Queensland Government has decided to get up a separate prison system 'for women, after years of confining the fewfemale prisoners in annexes of some of the toughest gaols in Australia.

I Allelic pi AOV HV 1 111 <llllll. Similar systems were set I up by most other Australian: states years ago. The highest number of I; women held in gaol in J 'Queensland at any one time! (during the 1974-75 financial (year was 29. ■ But, according to the Min- ■ ister of Prisons in the ConIservative Liberal National Party Coalition State Government (Mr John Herbert) this could soon change. “We can expect to see a big increase in violent crimes committed by women in Queensland,” Mr Herbert said. “We will have to deal with a new type of woman criminal — violent and ■icious and, in the opinion ‘of prison authorities, harder to handle than male prison-! ers.” Mr Herbert reached his conclusions — and the Gov-1 eminent, its decision to: build a special gaol forj women — after a trip to| several countries last year. •: He was specially disturbed: by trends in the United! Kingdom. ! “A new disturbing fea-j ■ ture in Britain was that vio- ] (lent crimes were being com-! imitted by all-women gangs, i as well as women individ-lt ually,” Mr F.-’ert said. It

V-* X-VFI lllx i Whaf happened overseas ;he said, finally arrived in ; Queensland, even if it was I [some time later. i According to a spokes- : woman for the Prisoners' .\id Society, an organisation which watches out for the interests of prisoners and helps them after release, it is a prison system for women which is long overdue. The society is at least pleased about the plans lor the new prison, which is to he built near Brisbane's Boggo Road gaol. At present, female prisoners are housed in an annexe at Boggo Road only a lew metres from the maximum security cells, where some of Queensland’s most violent (convicted men are confined, j The planned women’s ■ prison will be designed to I cater for a maximum of 100 (prisoners, and will include | the first maximum security [section exclusively for (women. A major feature will be | full nursery facilities to (allow inmates to keep their ■ infant children with them in prison. : Under state regulations, ■ children under the age of two years can be in gaol with their mothers.

It is also planned to provide full pre- and postnatal facilities for pregnant prisoners.