Families’ plight revealed

Press, 13 September 1988, Page 3

Families’ plight revealed

A couple was forced to sell its family home to meet an $BO,OOO legal bill for the husband’s trial defence, the committee was told. Another family member mortgaged their home for $20,000 to help meet the costs. “We didn’t even know if we were entitled to legal aid or not,” said the wife, whose husband is still in jail.

The woman was making a submission on behalf of a group called Pillars (Prison Inmates’ Loved ones Linked As one to Renew Strength), which was formed about six months ago.

She used her own circumstances to illustrate the effects imprisonment had on dependants. The group’s submission said greater information was needed by families when a member was remanded in custody, and called for better financial support for partners and families.

“The family home should be protected. Families should not be expected to sell up or shift location because of financial demands on them related to the judicial process. Otherwise, they become victims of the system.”

Pillars submitted that people should be imprisoned locally and not sent to an out-of-town institution.

Counselling needed to be available for couples when relationships were under stress.

Pillars also proposed drug and alcohol counselling programmes in prison rather than after release and funding for a booklet to explain prison rules.