No Pride in Prisons slams bloated prison budget

Prison abolitionist organisation No Pride in Prisons says the 2017 Budget once again prioritises appearing tough on crime over keeping people safe.

“The more than $1 billion spent on prisons is an insult to the thousands of people living in poverty in this country, as well as the more than 10,000 people in prison today,” says the group’s spokesperson Emilie Rākete.

“Research consistently shows that prisons not only fail to reduce harmful behaviour, but actually make people more violent and more likely to harm others.”

“Pumping money into the prison system is simply throwing money away.”

No Pride in Prisons is particularly critical of the $252 million in new capital expenditure, on top of a further $1.5 billion on new prison construction in years ahead. “This is effectively an admission by the government that it has no interest in reducing the actual causes of crime,” says Rākete.

“The health and education systems in this country are falling apart. More and more people are living in dire poverty, without proper housing or food. Regardless of some small increases in spending, these areas remain chronically underfunded.”

“The government has prioritised locking up more people in prison over the education of our young people. The total prison spending has increased by 4.9%, while education has only increased by 2.6%.”

“Instead of investing meaningfully in housing, education, and healthcare, the government is allowing the causes of crime to worsen.”

In its peer-reviewed policy document Abolitionist Demands, No Pride in Prisons calls for the progressive defunding of Police and Corrections. “Refusing to waste money on punitive and ineffective responses to crime would allow for real social investment.”

ENDS

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