Australia
Seen in the press
Read our selection of press reports about this country. This is a short description of prison conditions on a national scale. It gives an account of the preceding year’s events.
Australia: prison radicalisation and deradicalisation
A number of people who have committed acts of terrorism were radicalised in prison. Examples include Richard Reid (the 2001 ‘shoe-bomber’), some individuals involved in the 2004 Madrid bombing, and the attackers who committed the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris in 2015. Studies of European and US j…Australia: 'urgent action' needed over high proportion of Indigenous women in prison, report says
The number of Indigenous women in custody has been called “one of the most challenging human rights issues facing Australia”. Research out today has shed new light on Indigenous women in the criminal justice system in New South Wales. It found the number of women in NSW jails between March 2013 and…Australia: women released from prison are at much greater risk of violence
Violence against women is rarely out of the news in Australia. We are now ten years into the National Action Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women (2010-2022), but there is still a long way to go. Our research shows this is particularly true for women who have been to prison. The considerable chall…Australiia : Christmas in prison: How female inmates cope and support each other a "sad and lonely" time
December 25th can be a chaotic mix of cheer and stress, but above all, it is a time of year dedicated to family. While most celebrate with their loved ones, for those in prison, Christmas is a complicated matter. “It has a bit more of an impact on the women,” said Superintendent Julie Steineuer fro…Australia: atados y amordazados, la realidad de los menores en las cárceles
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Australia: Canberra's prison applied dress standards to visitors which could breach the Discrimination Act
The ACT Human Rights Commission is seeking clarification about the dress standards imposed on visitors at Canberra’s jail which included a ban on swimsuits, tight-fitting clothing and skirts shorter than mid-thigh.
Australia: Queensland prison guards giving inmates drugs and weapons, damning report finds
Watchdog says systems meant to detect and deal with corruption are not working. A damning new report shows corruption is alive and well in Queensland’s prison system, with guards hooking up with inmates and supplying them with booze, drugs and even weapons.