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Salomone, Joanna --- "Addressing the Needs of Aboriginal Women Prisoners and their Families in Western Australia" [2005] IndigLawB 56; (2005) 6(14) Indigenous Law Bulletin 17


Addressing the Needs of Aboriginal Women Prisoners and their Families in Western Australia

by Joanna Salomone

Background

The entrenched disadvantage suffered by Aboriginal people has repeatedly been demonstrated across a variety of social, economic and correctional indicators. Indisputably, colonisation, alienation from land and culture, and the disruption of Aboriginal families over generations have had an ongoing and catastrophic impact on Aboriginal wellbeing, community and family functioning.[1]

Imprisonment, as a barometer of social alienation, indicates that Aboriginal women in particular are among the most marginalised within society. Nationwide, Aboriginal women are 19 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Aboriginal women.[2] The vast overrepresentation of Aboriginal women in prisons exceeds even the gross overrepresentation of Aboriginal men.[3] Furthermore, the trend has been for the proportion of Aboriginal female prisoners to increase over time.[4] Overall approximately 70 per cent of Aboriginal women prisoners have previously been incarcerated – many are caught in the correctional ‘revolving door’.

In Western Australia (‘WA’), Aboriginal women comprise approximately 49 per cent of female prisoners.[5] Aboriginal women are 27 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Aboriginal women in the State.[6] In regional areas of WA, around 89 per cent of women prisoners are Aboriginal, while in city areas the figure is 36 per cent.[7]

The majority of Indigenous women in prisons are the mothers or primary carers of young children.[8] Their imprisonment not only entrenches their own disadvantage, but compounds the difficulties experienced by their children and families, with far reaching intergenerational implications for entire communities.[9]

A New Vision

While the rapid and significant rise in the overall number of women prisoners in WA

during the 1990s presented management challenges, it also increased official awareness of the issues affecting this population.[10] With only one maximum security women’s prison in the State, and inadequate low security accommodation for women, the WA Department of Justice, in 2001/2002, embarked on the development of a purpose-built low-security prison for women.[11]

A survey of the characteristics of women prisoners, research on women’s offending patterns and needs and comparisons with other jurisdictions highlighted the generally ‘low risk - high need’ nature of the women prisoner population.[12] These investigations revealed that women’s correctional management demanded approaches substantially different to those applied to male offender populations. Where male oriented or ‘gender neutral’ approaches were imposed on women, these approaches invariably failed, with continuing re-offending, social and economic exclusion and erosion of family cohesion.[13]

In May 2004, the Boronia Pre Release Centre for Women (‘the Boronia Centre’) was commissioned. After its first year in operation, the Boronia Centre is already demonstrating the efficacy of an innovative approach that addresses the personal and cultural as well as criminogenic[14] needs of women prisoners. Early indications are of a reduction in recidivism and the women’s successful preparation for release into the community.[15] The philosophy developed for Boronia Centre has since been adopted for women’s custodial services in WA generally and is based on the principles of:

  • personal responsibility and empowerment;
  • family responsibilities;
  • community responsibility; and
  • respect and integrity.[16]

Aboriginal women constitute around 15 per cent of residents at the Boronia Centre.[17] These are usually Nyungar women from the south-west of WA. Wongi women from the Eastern Goldfields and Yamatji women from the Murchison and Gascoyne coastal areas and the north and north eastern parts of WA are, wherever possible, housed in regional prisons closer to their homes and families.[18]

Measures to address socio-economic marginalisation are recognised as key to addressing women’s imprisonment and, in particular, Aboriginal women’s overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.[19] Relevant vocational training, the development of job-market-relevant work skills and social supports, including child care and respite services, are considered essential for Aboriginal women entering and remaining in the workforce, and key to the ‘rehabilitation’ of Aboriginal/women prisoners, and to their economic and social futures post release.

Residents participate in a ‘full constructive day’ of meaningful activity including education, skills acquisition, vocational education and training, work, personal development, programs, household chores and recreation.

The women cook and clean for themselves and their children, share chores and shop for essentials in the onsite ‘supermarket’.[20] The onsite accredited catering and hospitality industry provides training, employment, as well as revenue, and apart from working at functions, women also work at the onsite visitor’s café.

The centralised location permits access by women and their resident children to locally available education and training institutions, traineeship and employment opportunities, community-based health and welfare services, public transport and other amenities. The family and community contact necessary for maintenance of essential relationships and development of re-entry supports is emphasised.

Selected women participate in reparation activities through voluntary and community work. The volunteer program also provides opportunities for screened community volunteers who support service delivery to the residents, their children and families, with a focus on re-entry needs.[21] A Community Advisory Group that assisted in development of the centre now continues its work in supporting operations and re-entry.

The child residence and extended visiting program is designed to protect and enhance family relationships, and wherever possible, the separation of women and their children is avoided. Children aged up to and including four years are accommodated with their mothers and emphasis is placed on the development of parenting skills, child development and maternal well-being, and ameloriating the detrimental impact of imprisonment.

An onsite health centre operates under a community health centre model, with women making appointments to see health professionals as they would in the community. Access to alcohol and drug education and therapeutic programs is also provided.[22]

Culturally Appropriate Design

In planning the Boronia Centre, there was recognition of the opportunity to create an environment designed specifically to meet the needs of Aboriginal women and their families.[23] Consultations were undertaken with local community residents and businesses, key local service agencies, staff, prisoners, local Aboriginal leaders and community representatives, and reference was made to the considerable body of work on culturally appropriate design.[24]

The architectural design brief for Boronia fundamentally required delivery of a centre that was culturally and gender appropriate, accessible, and welcoming to families and members of the community, child friendly and child safe, and that emphasised community participation and ownership. The resulting facility reflects the needs of residents, families, children, community members, staff and neighbours, and is unlike any other prison so far built in WA, and possibly in few places elsewhere. There is a focus on the environment, with views to the natural landscape, symbols of meaning to local women have been incorporated into the design with the permission of local custodians, and a spiritual centre provides the opportunity for ceremonies and gatherings.[25]

The Boronia Centre provides for women, children and relatives to be accommodated together, and the women’s privacy is also respected. The facilities meet the needs of visiting relatives and support community and kin access and interaction, facilitate group gatherings, educational and recreational activities and other activities that will further the women’s social, cultural and spiritual lives.[26]

The Boronia Centre sets new standards not only for correctional facility design, but also for women’s correctional management. It has adopted a model that recognises the diverse needs of women, particularly Aboriginal women, and is a benchmark for reforms as well as in other jurisdictions.

Joanna Salomone was Research Officer for the Boronia Development Project and is now Senior Project Officer in the Strategic Services Branch of the Department of Justice, WA.


[1] Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (‘HREOC’), Face the Facts: Some Questions and Answers About Immigration, Refugees and Indigenous Affairs (2000) <http://www.hreoc.gov.au/racial_discrimination/face_facts/atsi_htm.htm> at 20 October 2005; HREOC, Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families (1997) <http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/special/rsjproject/rsjlibrary/hreoc/stolen> at 20 October 2005; E Johnston QC, Bringing them Home: Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991) <http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/rciadic/index.html> at 20 October 2005; M Healy and L Acacio, Regional Social Indicators for Aboriginal People in Western Australia (1998) http://www.dia.wa.gov.au/Downloads/downloads.htm> at 20 October 2005, 2-3.

[2] R Cant, R Downie and T Mulholland, Cohort Analysis of the Custodial Population (2000) 1; Department for Community Development Office for Women’s Policy, Indigenous Women’s Report Card 2005: Supplement to the Women’s Report Card (2005) http://www.community.wa.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/D09D1F1F-93B2-4749-BB5F-596EB983404D/0/DCDRPTIndigenousWomensReportCard2005.pdf> at 31 October 2005, 43; Department of Justice (I), ‘Adult Prison Population Census (CY) PRS001’ (2005) September Cognos; Department of Justice (II), ‘Adult Prison Population Census Report Prisons, ATSI and Genders’ (2005) August TOMS.

[3] N Loh and A Ferrante, Aboriginal Involvement in the Western Australian Criminal Justice System: A Statistical Review, 1999 (2000) 3 <http://www.crc.law.uwa.edu.au/publications/about_ajc_reports> at 20 October 2005, 22; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (‘ATSIC’) National Policy Office, Statistical Profile: Aboriginal Women and Torres Strait Islander Women (2000) <http://www.atsic.gov.au/classroom/statistics/Statistical_Profile/default.asp> at 20 October 2005; Department of Justice, Profile of Women: Community and Juvenile Justice Division: Executive Summary (2002) <http://www.justice.wa.gov.au/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_323_201_0_43/http%3B/justicecontent.extranet.justice.wa.gov.au/content/files/summary_profile_women_in_prison.pdf> at 20 October 2005; HREOC, above n1; ATSIC Social Justice Commissioner, Social Justice Report 2000: Summary (2001) 2.

[4] Cant, Downie and Mulholland; Department for Community Development Office for Women’s Policy; Department of Justice (I); Department of Justice (II), above n 2.

[5] Ibid.

[6] ATSIC National Policy Office, above n 3; Loh and Ferrante, above n 3, 3; WA Aboriginal Child Health Survey, The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Children and Young People: Summary Booklet (2005) <http://www.ichr.uwa.edu.au/waachs/docs/Vol2SummaryBooklet.pdf> at 20 October 2005.

[7] M Cameron, ‘Women Prisoners and Correctional Programs’ (2001) 194 Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice <http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/ti194.pdf> at 20 October 2005, 2; J McGinty MLA, Reducing Reoffending – Focusing on Re-entry to the Community: Report on a Visit to England, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and France (2002) <http://www.justice.wa.gov.au/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_323_201_0_43/http%3B/justicecontent.extranet.justice.wa.gov.au/content/files/AG_REPORT_210802.pdf> at 20 October 2005; Department of Justice (I), above n 2, Department of Justice (II), above n 2, Department of Justice, ‘Profile of the Criminal Justice System in the Kimberley’ (2005).

[8] Loh and Ferrante above n 6, 22; ATSIC National Policy Office above n 5; Department of Justice, above n 3; HREOC, above n 1; ATSIC Social Justice Commissioner, Social Justice Report 2000 (2001) 2.

[9] The Forensic and Applied Psychology Research Group, ‘The Management of Indigenous Prisoners, Prisoners from Different Cultural Backgrounds and Women Prisoners’ The ACT Prison Project, 14-15 <http://www.cs.act.gov.au/amc/home/publications> at 20 October 2005; R Mills, ‘Problems of Isolation of Indigenous Inmates in Prison and Problems of Families Visiting Prisons’ (Paper presented to National Workshop on Indigenous Cultures and the Design of Custodial Environments, Alice Springs, 11 November 1998) 26; Aboriginal Affairs Department, ‘Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody: Implementation Report 2000’ <http://www.dia.wa.gov.au/Publications/files/RCIADIC_Implementation_Report2000.pdf> at 20 October 2005; S Greene, ‘Cycles of Pain: Risk Factors in the Lives of Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children’ (2000) 80 The Prison Journal 1, 3-23; Standing Committee on Social Issues, Parliament of NSW Legislative Council, A Report into Children of Imprisoned Parents Report No 12 (1997) <http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/committee.nsf/4bb1ef733c6a672cca256e420066a938/bac06bdc4ed2a6dfca256cfd002a63ba!OpenDocument> at 20 October 2005; Standing Committee on Community Services and Social Equity, Legislative Assembly for the ACT, The Forgotten Victims of Crime: Families of Offenders and their Silent Sentence (2004) <http://www.legassembly.act.gov.au/committees/reports/cs06supportservices1.pdf> at 20 October 2005; D Farrington, ‘Family Based Prevention of Offending: A Meta Analysis’ (2003) 36 The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology 2, 127-151.

[10] Ministry of Justice, Report on the Review of Services to Adult Women Offender (1997).

[11] J Salomone, Towards Best Practice in Women’s Corrections: The Western Australian Low Security Prison for Women (2004) <http://www.justice.wa.gov.au/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_323_201_0_43/http%3B/justicecontent.extranet.justice.wa.gov.au/content/files/towards_best_practices.pdf> at 20 October 2005, 2.

[12] Queensland Department of Corrective Services Women’s Policy Unit, Profile of Female Offenders Under Community and Custodial Supervision in Queensland (2000);

D Ramsbotham, Chief Inspector of Prisons United Kingdom, Women In Prison: A Thematic Review (1997); B Owen and B Bloom, Profiling the Needs of California’s Female Offenders: A Needs Assessment (1995) <http://ncic.org/Prisons> at 20 October 2005.

[13] Western Australia Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services, Report of an Announced Inspection of Bandyup Women’s Prison (2002) <http://www.custodialinspector.wa.gov.au/pdfs/insp_reports/rp13-BandyupWomenPrisJune2002.pdf> at 20 October 2005; Queensland Department of Corrective Services, above n 12; Home Office, United Kingdom, Statistics on Women and the Criminal Justice System (2000) 5; Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women, Canada, Creating Choices: The Report of the Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women (1990) <http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/publictitle_e.shtml> at 20 October 2005.

[14] Criminogenic needs are those behaviours or issues that need to be addressed in order to prevent offending. From J Salomone, A Glossary of Terms and Key Issues in Women’s Corrections (2003) (Unpublished).

[15] JB D’Orazio, Minister for Justice, Western Australia, Hansard: Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women, Anniversary, Legislative Assembly, 25 May 2005, 2288c-2288c/3 <http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/hansard/hans35.nsf/451a59fb51257dd248256c85002bc738/6dbe1e94fa8d38344825700e002f614b?OpenDocument> at 20 October 2005.

[16] Department of Justice, Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women: Guiding Philosophy (2002).

[17] Department of Justice (I), above n 2.

[18] LM Collard, ‘Research and Development in Kurongkul Katitijin’ (Proceedings from the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Inc (‘HERDSA’) Conference, Perth, 8-12 July 1996) <http://www.herdsa.org.au/confs/1996/collard.html> at 20 October 2005, 2.

[19] ATSIC Social Justice Commissioner, above n 8, 4.

[20] Department of Justice, ‘Retail First for Boronia’ (2005) 7 Inside Out 7, 8.

[21] Department of Justice, ibid, 7.

[22] PW Easteal, ‘Women and Crime: Imprisonment Issues’ (1992) 35 Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice <http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi35.html> 20 October 2005.

[23] Ibid, 101.

[24] P Brown and S La Brooy, ‘Design Initiatives in the Northern Territory for Indigenous Inmates’ (Paper presented at the Best Practice Interventions in Corrections for Indigenous People Conference, Adelaide, 13-15 October 1999) 4; The Forensic and Applied Psychology Research Group, above n 9, 21; P Memmott and K Eckermann, ‘Cultural Issues in the Architectural Design of Indigenous Custodial Facilities’ (Paper presented at the Best Practice Intervention in Corrections for Indigenous People Conference, Adelaide, 13-15 October 1999); Aboriginal Affairs Department, above n 9, 106.

[25] Department of Justice, above n 16, 8.

[26] Aboriginal Affairs Department, above n 24, 107.

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