Westbury prison a disaster – financially & for inmates, says expert
Photo by Mike Moores
On January 15, trucks moved onto the State Government’s proposed Northern Regional Prison site on the Birralee Road, Westbury. A government spokesperson said contractors were doing soil testing to determine the site’s feasibility and to further inform the Government’s future decision making processes. He said, ‘This testing is not part of any construction works and is in no way an indicator of a decision to proceed or otherwise with the preferred site.’
By Sharon Webb
A FORMER Tasmanian prison chief believes the State Government will have huge problems staffing a prison on the proposed Westbury site – forever. Mr Peter Hoult, former deputy secretary of the Justice Department and for three years Secretary of Corrective Services, categorically stated, ‘I guarantee you it will run badly; I can’t see how the government is ever going to afford this.’ Mr Hoult chaired the planning process for the redevelopment of Risdon Prison in the early 2000s under then Attorney General, Peter Patmore. He also was responsible for Ashley Detention Centre for the year he was Secretary of Health. He knows what it takes to deliver services to a regional facility and the capacity of the north and north-west to deliver services to a northern prison.
‘At that time Peter Patmore was interested in whether we should put a prison up north. ‘It was never a matter of public conversation. We had quiet talks with Launceston City Council and it seemed there might be a couple of suitable sites in Launceston’s outer suburbs,’ Mr Hoult said. ‘Even at Risdon there are issues around recruitment and retention of officers. At the time we were looking at Launceston for a prison I argued it was wrong to pretend Launceston’s service infrastructure could support it and there’s little or no reason to think it could do so now,’ he said. ‘In the end the decision was made to develop the Risdon Vale site.’ Because it was already designated a prison under planning rules there were no local objectors at Risdon Vale ‘And because we needed a secure mental health unit for people with mental health issues who could not be in the regular prison system, the Health Department insisted nowhere but the south was suitable. The major resources for running it were linked to the clinical base of psychiatric and psychological services there.’
At the time Mr Hoult said, the service base for Risdon was poor. ‘Right now it’s the best it’s ever been but you need competent staff. Well over half the prisoners have mental health issues and a similar number have addiction issues. They have huge education deficits, poor education and come from dysfunctional families with criminal baggage. ‘Our experience of trying to run Ashley Detention Centre has been pretty horrible – it’s difficult to provide services in a small regional town. Can you imagine trying to provide medical services for 250 high-needs people in a prison? ‘Conservatively you’d have more than 200 people needing On January 15, trucks moved onto the State Government’s proposed Northern Regional Prison site on the Birralee Road, Westbury. A government spokesperson said contractors were doing soil testing to determine the site’s feasibility and to further inform the Government’s future decision making processes. He said, ‘This testing is not part of any construction works and is in no way an indicator of a decision to proceed or otherwise with the preferred site.’ Photo by Mike Moores addiction and mental health services. But currently even in the general community there are not enough addiction services.’
According to Mr Hoult, running a two-prison system in Tasmania would be extremely expensive. ‘Some people say you just cut 250 beds in the south and the overall cost is the same,’ Mr Hoult said. ‘That’s just not true. If you split the Royal Hobart Hospital in half and put half in Devonport you’d still need to duplicate some facilities and staff. ‘While I am sympathetic to the geographical issues involved in family visits, on balance I don’t think that justifies the highly risky business of building a prison outside an urban centre that can sustain it. ‘If we’re serious about better access, build a prisoner visit facility and run a coach from the north and north-west. These would be less costly.’
Mr Hoult says he is disappointed in the quality of political debate on the prison issue – a debate resulting in over-crowded prisons across Australia. ‘There is a blithe acceptance that prisons are warehouses to put people in,’ he said. ‘They are not. They are complex environments requiring lots of inputs if they’re going to do their job properly. ‘The last thing we need in Tasmania is more prison beds. The growth in the prison population is not a good thing. Government should invest in preventative and better service delivery in the community.’ And the design of the proposed prison at Westbury? ‘That six metre wall is for political purposes – so people can’t see in,’ Mr Hoult said. ‘Having layers of wire fence with electric fencing between is much more effective. ‘Putting people in a cave where they can’t see out and can only see the sky is appalling.
