<
https://theconversation.com/the-effectiveness-of-private-prisons-is-debatable-why-does-australia-have-so-many-282721>
"This month, the South Australian government extended a contract with a private
firm to manage a men’s prison in Adelaide for another five years, despite a
damning report about its operations.
The report from the McKell Institute – a non-profit, progressive Australian
public policy think tank – concluded the private operation of the Adelaide
Remand Centre had been a failure.
It found understaffing had created a volatile environment that put staff and
inmates at risk. It also cited security breaches and higher costs per inmate
compared to publicly run prisons.
The report prompted the head of the Public Service Association to implore the
state Labor government not to extend the contract with Serco, a multinational
security and justice system management firm.
But Corrections Minister Michael Brown ignored that plea, causing the head of
the Community and Public Sector Union, Stewart Little, to say Premier Peter
Malinauskas would have “blood on his hands for this decision”.
The controversy renews the focus on private prisons in Australia.
In 2025, eight of the 114 custodial facilities in Australia were privately
operated, making up 16.5% of the prisoner population. This is down from 19% a
decade earlier when it was the highest percentage among advanced economies
worldwide."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
