Public ? Or Private ?

There is no doubt that the New South Wales prison system is at breaking point.  Too many prisoners crammed into too few jails means dangerous overcrowding.  The government is seriously considering placing some prisons under the control of private sector companies who have developed the expertise to run jails on a "for profit " basis.

At present the prison system is administered under the auspices of the Department of Corrective Services, and that is probably the most heavily unionised entity in this state.  As a result, work practices have evolved to the point that it is near impossible to update the system.   There would be countless issues to resolve, most of which would face stiff opposition.   Working under public service rules delivers a host of benefits not usually found in private employment.

What the system lacks is that magic word - flexibility !  The ponderous public service has a way of doing things that resists change and it is one of the facts of life that private enterprise is quicker and better at adapting to a changing market place - and holding people under lock and key and attempting to change their ways is an ever evolving discipline.

Many of our jails were actually built and used in the days of transportation.  We no longer flog prisoners with the cat of nine tails and the food is better, but "time served " is still the essence of how punishment is metered out.   Long term prisoners adapt to a regimen from which they find it almost impossible to escape when they eventually gain their freedom.

It is a fact of life that prison is usually a revolving door.  The vast majority of prisoners return to prison for new offences within a few years of release and many "old lags "know nothing else than a life of crime.  Measures to improve the education of suitable prisoners and teach them new skills have had some success, but one of the limiting factors has been the limitations of those who serve as their jailers.  People employed to provide a security function do not necessarily have the skills of teachers or trade innovators, or even the will to provide such services.

The government needs to have a long, hard think about what it hopes to achieve.   If it just wants prisoners housed, fed and kept under control within the present system that can probably be achieved at lower cost by private enterprise but safeguards would be needed to ensure that standards are maintained.

If the objective is prisoner redemption, that becomes more complex.  Judges and magistrates need to be involved to select the prisoners likely to benefit and the actual system would need flexibility to constantly adopt new methods to suit evolving trends.   Purpose built prisons would better serve the needs of those selected for retraining rather than trying to implement such reform on grim old jails housing the general prison population.

Updating this job training and educational regime is more likely to cost more money than make a saving, but if it reduces the revolving door syndrome it will deliver long term benefits.  This present overcrowding is reaching breaking point.  Change is now inevitable.   It is just a matter of whether the government is prepared to grasp the nettle and make an investment that will bring prisons into this twenty-first century !