The Covid 19 Prison Crisis

be bailed out immediately. As many of our listeners will be aware, a huge percentage of the prison population in Australia are on remand that means they have not been convicted of a crime. And as many doctors and human rights organizations are pointing out, being in prison during a pandemic like the coronavirus is literally a death sentence. The people who are under a misapprehension that a prison might

be an isolated place to be that's completely incorrect. Not only are the conditions very poor in almost every prison in the world, and I should say just today in the United Kingdom, a prisoner has died of coronavirus. There is people and staff going in and out of prisons every day with no control over who could or could not be taking the virus inside the prisons. There's also very poor hygiene standards in the prisons. This is not because of the prisoner's lack of trying, but because of

basic lack of soap and running water. They can't even wash their hands. It's also impossible in a prison environment to reduce contact and do what the rest of us are calling social isolation, people are in close quarters, and as we've seen on cruise ships, this is a recipe

for disaster. Now, not only should people who don't need to be in prison not be there and not be subject to a huge increase of risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus as we've seen cruise ships, these petri dishes of this virus where it is allowed to congregate and spread, become deadly for the entire community. You cannot simply shut up a cruise ship, and you can't do the same with a prison. It will get out and it will spread. So the better we control this, the better it is

for the entire community. This affects absolutely everyone and so we all need to be invested now. The Coalition for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People in Australia have put out a lengthy press release about this issue. That coalition includes Sisters inside Flat Out Ink, Fitzroy Legal Service and

Prisoner's Legal Service in Queensland. Amanda George from Flat Out Ink, an advocacy in housing service for women leaving prison in Victoria, says it's not a matter of if, but when there'll be an outbreak of COVID nineteen in Australian prisons, but she says locking out visitors will not prevent it. Thousands of correctional staff, healthcare workers, contractors and others go in

and out of prisons every day. She points out family visitors are essential to the mental and physical health of prisoners, but we do need to get as many prisoners out of Australia's overcrowded prisons as possible. People who don't need to be incarcerated shouldn't be there during this epidemic. Everyone who can be bailed should be bailed. Everyone who can be paroled should be paroled. Everyone who can get medical

or compassionate leave should be granted leave. They also need homes to go to so they can protect themselves and their families. Seventy seven percent of people being sent to

prisons today are not even sentenced, she said. They are waiting for their day in court, and with this pandemic, who knows when they will get that And that's a really important point that's being raised there with courts being shut down and so many people in our prison system not having been found guilty yet, these are innocent people. Who knows when they will get that day in court?

And inside they are sitting ducks. They do not need to be there for their own health, for the health of their family, for the health of all the workers in the prison system, and for the well being and health of the general community. Most Australian prisons are operating above their capacity, which Miss George says Western Australian prisons are more than thirty percent over capacity. This means two or three prisoners in cells designed for one, overstretched health

and medical service and a tinderbox environment. So we have to act now. Many other countries, including China, Italy and Iran, have scrambled to address this threat. Many have acted too late and it is caused the worsening of this pandemic. As I say, this affects absolutely everyone. The elderly and immunocompromised prisoners should be given medical leave immediately. About six percent of the prison population are over the age of sixty. The older prison population is among the most vulnerable to

severe complications from COVID nineteen. Aging people who are released after serving long sentences have a recidivism rate close to zero. Miss George points out now what this Coalition for the Human Rights of Imprisoned People in Australia. Are call are a list and I will run through them now. And this is pointing out what would drastically improve this situation. All people living and working in prisons must have access to health and medical services. Symptoms need to be addressed quickly,

not once a week or twice a week. They must have access to soap and running water to wash their hands. Soap should be provided at no cost, i e. It should be taken off the list of items only available for purchase from prison canteens. And hand sanitizer must be removed from contraband lists and made readily available to all bathrooms. Laundry, eating and all common areas must be cleaned after each use.

Prisoners must have access to accommodation that enables them to selfide if they so choose accommodation, and facilities with poor air circulation need to be improved immediately. Access to fresh air and exercise is vital to health. Ban on family visits and reductions in prison programs will be counterproductive. All efforts must be made to keep prisoners connected with family, community, and engaged in activity that promotes mental and physical health. Finally,

phone calls to friends and family should be free. They are very expensive in austral prisons and inaccessible to prisoners without money, and video conferencing facilities should be made available for remote visits, especially to prisoners with children and elderly

or vulnerable relatives that they're worried about. And for more information on what I've just discussed, you can contact Amanda George at Flat Out Ink on two one seven nine one eight zero three, that is two one seven nine one eight zero three and this information will also be added to the curtain of the podcast website. Now that goes to the next question of what can actually be done.

As we're seeing there's many people on social media and in the news right around the globe pointing out this issue and that people need to be released immediately, but simply calling for it won't make it happen. So this is where we need people to step up and make it possible. Luckily, in Australia, two such organizations are doing exactly that, their Prisoner's Legal Service in Queensland and Sisters Inside. Now this is some information those two organizations working together

have provided to us. They state the following categories of people in prison are particularly vulnerable to COVID nineteen, people with compromised immune systems, such as people who have cancer, elderly people, aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, peoples who obviously have higher rates of chronic illness, and people who already

have chronic medical conditions. Pair Less and Sisters Inside point out that there are four categories of people they may be able to assist during the COVID nineteen pandemic and who are particularly vulnerable. So if you have friends or family in this situation, please play close attention. Or if you're a prisoner inside and this applies to you, please listen so you can know which category you're in and

how you can be helped. The first is people with parole applications lodged already, and what the PLS is saying is they can request the parole board fast tracked consideration of release, so that's what they'd be working on on your behalf. The second category are people who are eligible for parole but who have not lodged applications, so both PLS and Sisters Inside can help those people to get those applications lodged and request it be fast tracked. The

third category is people with parole suspensions and cancelations. Again, PLS and Sisters Inside can request the Parole Board urgently lift suspension or cancelation. Anyone with a cancelation should immediately lodge a new application Category four people who are not eligible for parole for example future parole eligibility or cord

ordered parole release dates. What PLS and Sisters Inside say is we may be able to help with lodging an exceptional circumstances parole application and request it to be fast tracked. They go on to say, it is unlikely that every person who is vulnerable to COVID nineteen will be considered

suitable for a lease. However, given the unprecedented health risks particular people face, we want to hear from people who are in prison and vulnerable to COVID nineteen that's the coronavirus to assess if we can try and get them out on parole. For people in prison, the Prisoner's Legal Service can be contacted on the Prisoner URNTA phone system as follows those in Capricornia Townsville CC or Lotus Glenn CC between the times of nine am to eleven am

and twelve pm to two pm on Thursday. I'll make sure All this information is on the curtain the podcast website all other centers in Queensland including BCC, AGCC, Wolston Woodford, MCC, SQCC and BWCC. The day is Tuesday and the times are nine am to eleven am and twelve pm to

two pm. I'll point out that the Prisoner's Legal Service has recruited extra volunteer lawyers to assist with answering the calls, and they're particularly worried about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island are prisoners and also as we know, women who are particularly vulnerable in the prison system, and that's where we know about the great work of Sisters Inside. And for those who don't know, you can go on to the Sisters Inside website and I'll give you the address, which

is Sisters Inside dot com dot au. Or for those on Twitter, you might like to contact Debbie Kilroy at deb Kilroy. That's her Twitter handle, and that applies both to people who may be seeking further help and information

or for those who wish to donate. And as many listeners will know, Debbie has a GoFundMe page that assists women, particularly vulnerable women, but all women leave prison as soon as possible, and as you will have seen in the media, that's particularly related over the last year to people in prison purely for outstanding fines, and this is an unacceptable situation.

We have young mothers, old women, those who have tried to escape domestic violence and family violence, who, as we've pointed out in this podcast, have called the police for assistance and then rather than their abusive partner be arrested, they have been taken to prison for unpaid fines. Now this is disgraceful at any time, but at the height of a global pandemic the likes of which the world has not seen for more than one hundred years, this

is unconscionable. So I'd also urge people to contact their local mp both state and federal, the justice ministers and attorney generals in every state and territory, and their premiers and chief ministers, and demand that the requests of organizations like Prisoner's Legal Service and Sisters Inside be listened to. This is being done for everybody's well being, as has been pointed out by doctors around the globe during a global pandemic, we are all in this together, and if

we place the most vulnerable at further risk. Not only are we dressed breaching their human rights. Prison in Australia, prison anywhere is not supposed to be a death sentence, but we're also placing our community at greater risk. As I've pointed out, the cruise ships have been one of the largest causes of the spread of this virus. So too of events like weddings where people are in close

proximity and in large groups in a single building. Now imagine a prison that's overcrowded, without any hand sanitizer, and with many prisoners unable to access even the most basic thing like soap and running water. So once again, to contact Sisters Inside. That's Sisters Inside dot com dot Au. I'll also give you their phone number, which is zero

seven three eight four four five zero six six. Now, for Aboriginal and Terres Strait Islander people right around the country, if these organizations are not operating in your area, please contact your local als your Aboriginal legal service. For all other people, please contact Legal Aid. So each state will have a phone number. If you just put Legal Aid and your state or territory into Google, those phone numbers

will come up. If for whatever reason, you are not treated appropriately by either Legal Aid, the Aboriginal Legal Service, or by your Attorney General or Justice Minister, or by corrective services. Then please contact me at curtainthe Podcast at gmail dot com. That's Curtainthepodcast at gmail dot com. You

can also contact me via twet at Martin g Hodgson. Now, I'll make sure all this information is available on the Curtain the Podcast website and will also be sharing it on Twitter and it should be relatively easy for you to find. Now for those who are specifically mentioned in what I laid out as to what Prisoner's Legal Service can assist with, remembering that's the four parole categories, I have some email addresses that you can contact directly at

Prisoner's Legal Service. That will be Katrina Davidson. Her email address is Katrina at pls QLD for Queensland dot com. For Sisters Inside, that's Katie Katie at Sisters Inside dot com dot AU. For people who'd like to contact Prisoner's Legal Service, they can do that through their wind site as well at www dot pls QLD dot com. Now, I'd like to mention that all the organizations I've mentioned today except donations, and they need your financial support. This

work simply cannot be done without it. So if you're not someone who has a family member you can be assisting. If you're someone who's not able to assist in the legal aspects of these cases or assisting in the parole process, then what you can do, and what is most beneficial above all, is to donate to these organizations. There's donate buttons on all their websites as I've listed, and again they will be on Curtain thepodcast dot com and you

can support their vital work. Also, remember that at DeBie Kilroy on Twitter has a link to the go fundme page that helps women ride around Australia, particularly vulnerable women, and we've seen tragic stories highlighted one time after another by deb and her workers of women who have been victims of all kinds of horrific abuse, domestic and family violence,

shocking treatment by police, shocking treatment by corrective services. They've been successfully released by Sisters Inside through their programming that you can help fund through their go Fundme page. The

Prisoner's Legal Service is a fantastic organization. Solicitor Helen Blaber is one of the most experienced and exceptional legal operators in this country and she is able to help all those who fit into the categories we've mentioned with their parole applications with her team of staff, and once again she's had enormous success throughout the years and very recently on helping the most vulnerable people and right now, in a global pandemic that means almost everybody in the prison system.

of work is with Foreign Prisoners dot com. We help not only Australians, but all people imprisoned in countries other than their own, and all people imprisoned around the globe whose human rights are being violated. If you have a family member in this situation who is at increase risk because of the coronavirus pandemic, if you have an Australian family member who is in an overseas prison who is not getting the basics that they need to keep themselves

safe from this virus. You can contact me either through www dot Foreign Prisoners dot com or directly at my email address Martin dot Hodgson h O d G. S O N at Foreign Prisoners dot com. You can also find me on Twitter at Marting Hodgson. Again, I'll make all these links available. I'll also share it through the Curtain the podcast social media platforms which you can find on Twitter and Facebook, so that all this information will

be at your fingertips. So not only am I encouraging you to spread this information to all vulnerable peoples, particularly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and when and impacted by domestic violence and family violence, poverty, and other issues that are impacting on their lives, like serious medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable at this time, I

want you to spread this to everyone. If we're going to do what the government says and all be in it together, then we have to bring every single member of our society with us on this journey as we seek to survive this global pandemic and ensure that as few people as possible not only contract the virus, but die from the virus. Thousands of people are already dead.

We need to act immediately, so please spread this information, share the podcast, and if you have any questions about what we may be able to do to help, or you need to be put in touch with an organization that can help you, please feel free to reach out on any of the platforms that I've mentioned and we

will endeavor to get back to you as soon as possible. Now, finally, I do want to mention that Kurt and the podcast will be back this year, will be coming back with not only some amazing news, but more information on what is happening in Australia's prison system, on the cases that obviously you've been following, that of Kevin Henry, Derek Bromley, Miss Marr and the many others that have been raised in this podcast. But for now, we need to focus

on this global pandemic. The coronavirus has to be our number one concern and I hope as you're listening this is finding you, hopefully at home safe and we want to send a special thank you to all the health and medical professionals in Australia and around the globe who are keeping us all well looked after and doing their absolute best to treat as as many people as possible, and we also want to thank all those in our community who we know always go above and beyond the

call of duty at a time of crisis to look after the most vulnerable amongst us and make sure that they're safe, that they have food and water and all the essentials that we need. Not everyone has the privilege of simply sitting at home and watching Netflix. If you do, then we hope you're well and we hope you will use some of your time to share this information. That's

it for this special episode of Curtain the podcast. Once again, Please share it as far and wide as you possibly can, and we'll be back with a further update and more information as this pandemic continues to unfold. Please stay safe, isolate, practice social distancing, and wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.