Rockhampton’s Supreme Court judge attacks State Government over lack of drug programs at prison

A Supreme Court judge has launched a scathing attack on the Queensland Government for inaction in providing effective drug rehabilitation programs in prisons.

Justice Graeme Crow. Pic Annette Dew

A Supreme Court judge has launched a scathing attack on the Queensland Government for inaction in providing effective drug rehabilitation programs in prisons, particularly in a region where such services have been scant.

Justice Graeme Crow, who has previously commented on Rockhampton’s “insufficient drug rehabilitation services”, has launched another attack in court recently over the lack of “effective” drug rehabilitation provided to drug addicts incarcerated at Capricornia Correctional Centre at Etna Creek.

During the sentencing of a former convicted drug trafficker who went on to supply significant quantities of methamphetamines and opioids to her then lover while he was in prison at Etna Creek, Justice Crow pointed the finger of blame at Queensland’s state government.

Capricornia Correctional Centre, Rockhampton prison, Rockhampton jail, Etna Creek prison

“This prison doesn’t have a drug program, which is disgraceful,” Justice Crow said.

“No prisoner out there has access to a proper drug program with drugs being administered to prisoners who are unable to get through their problems, like the prisons do in New South Wales... even in remand in New South Wales.”

Justice Crow was referring to drug administration of substances such as those used in the methadone program.

Justice Graeme Crow. Pic Annette Dew

Methadone is a prescription drug which is part of the opioid group and has been successfully used for decades in treating addicts with opioid dependency since the 1950s, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Justice Crow went on to say the lack of such programs in Queensland prisons was “a real problem”.

“But it seems to me the government’s taken the view that for those small amount of prisoners who can in fact go cold turkey and get through their drug problems, that’s the go out here,” he said.

“Most of these prisoners out there, this is a men’s prison, they have no chance in life unless they get away from drugs.

“I’ve had many prisoners say this to me in court.

“It is a sad fact that there are drugs in prison because it means that those persons who are addicted will have virtually no chance of getting away from the drugs.

“It will take a great deal of strength for that to occur and most of those people don’t have that strength.”

The Liberal National Party’s corrective services spokesman and member for Burdekin, Dale Last, said corrections centres were meant to be both a punishment and a chance for rehabilitation and, as Justice Crow pointed out, the Capricornia centre was ‘clearly failing’ to offer rehabilitation.

Burdekin MP Dale Last. Picture: Evan Morgan

“As a former police officer, I know there is a direct link between drug addiction and crime,” Mr Last said.

“By failing to provide the rehabilitation services that are needed, Labor is setting up the offenders to continue to offend upon release and setting up the community to have even more victims of crime.

“You only have to look at the overcrowding in our corrections centres to see that the current minister is out of his depth.

“For one of the state’s largest centres to not have a drug rehabilitation program proves, yet again, that Minister (Mark) Ryan and Labor simply can’t get the basics right.

“Given the damage done to the centre itself and the danger that staff were put in during the riots, you would hope the minister would ensure that the necessary services were available.

“Clearly that is not the case and that is nothing but the minister completely ignoring the welfare of the staff who work in that centre and the communities that those offenders will return to once they are released.

“With every passing day, the justified criticism of the current Labor government gets louder and louder.

“For a Supreme Court Justice to publicly criticise the Queensland government and to raise the alarm that the community can expect more crime is a dark day for Queensland and Queenslanders.”

Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga said there were a number of ways in which prisoners within the Capricornia Correctional Centre were provided assistance with substance abuse.

Brittany Lauga.

“Capricornia Correctional Centre provides substance abuse rehabilitation programs to prisoners, delivered by both Queensland Corrective Services’ (QCS) staff, and external community-based providers,” she said.

“I’m advised that QCS, in partnership with Queensland Health, is working to roll out a specific program within Capricornia Correctional Centre to address opioid addiction.

“It is always my hope that all incarcerated people receive the assistance they need while in prison to ensure any substance abuse is addressed prior to being released.”