Long journey ahead to break NT prison cycle

If the Northern Territory wants to break the cycle of prisoners reoffending, it must invest more in rehabilitation and education according to the NT jails boss who has embarked on an ambitious reform project.

Northern Territory Correctional Services' Commissioner Scott McNairn in his office.

If the Northern Territory wants to break the cycle of prisoners reoffending, it must invest more in rehabilitation and education according to the NT jails boss who has embarked on an ambitious reform project.

NT Corrections Commissioner Scott McNairn visited Alice Springs last week to inspect the jail and told the Centralian Advocate the NT Cabinet asked him to develop a new prison operating model.

Mr McNairn said he is preparing a Cabinet submission and it will be challenging to fill in a gap of services for prisoners under a tight budget.

“Around 50 per cent of this reform is about the money to get additional programs and the other 50 per cent is about changing prison culture, policies and procedures,” he said.

The expansion of education, training and domestic violence and alcohol programs will be considered to help prisoners integrate in the community and have a lower chance of reoffending.

Around 56 per cent of adult prisoners in the NT reoffend.

Anna Gill who is a regional managing solicitor at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency agreed that support programs would help prevent crime.

“Courses that we would suggest be made available to all prisoners are family violence courses, drug and alcohol courses, numeracy and literacy programs and drink driver education courses,” she said.

“We suggest that prisoners be prepared and supported in transitioning from prison to back to their community …”

Mr McNairn said he has come across some prisoners who would rather be in jail than in their communities.

“It is not what I want but it is a sad indictment on where we are as a society,” he said,

Mr McNairn has been in the job for around six months and said he has put less focus on a “tactical and containment” based prison model.

The widespread use of handcuffs in high security jails meant prisoners were cuffed even on their way to get medical services in the jail however this has since been changed.

“I’m not taking that power away from staff … there are still specified times where they can use handcuffs,” he said.

Although jails do not have control over the amount of prisoners they receive, Mr McNairn said courts and law reform could play a role in reducing prisoner numbers.

“A prisoner could be sentenced to prison for driving offences … sometimes I’d rather see them go into a local driving program, under supervision and electronic monitoring,” he said.

“In my view, some low level offences could have alternatives to custody.”