media release DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE (WA) Inc. 119 MATHIESON RD ASCOT WA 6104 Tel: 61 (0)8 9277-1533 Fax: 61 (0)8 9478-4204 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.omen.net.au/~dicwc Thursday, 2 September 1999 Prison Death: Casuarina Prison's Horror Regime Claims Another Young Life A 22-year-old prisoner from Casuarina Prison died in Fremantle Hospital at 4.55am this morning. The young man had been on a life-support system at Fremantle Hospital since 28 August 1999, after being found unconscious in his cell at Casuarina Prison. "This is the second death in two weeks from Casuarina Prison and the horror regime which has been imposed on prisoners at that jail since Christmas Day, must end now." Said Kath Mallott, Executive Officer of the Watch Committee. Ms Mallott was referring to the 22-hour lockdown, which has been imposed on the majority of prisoners at Casuarina since a riot on Christmas Day. "Prisoners have suffered under these conditions for long enough and the regime must be returned to normal before any further lives are lost." "The prison system in Western Australia has been in absolute chaos for two years and prison services have failed to cope with the massive increase in the prison population. This has put more and more lives at risk within our jails and the Ministry of Justice is failing in its duty of care to ensure that prisoners are provided with a safe and healthy environment in which to serve their sentences." "Many prisoners have recently told me of numerous incidents of self-harm at Casuarina Prison. However, Prison Services fail to record and publish these statistics, even though an increase in incidents of self-harm is indicative of the fact that the horror regime at Casuarina continues to put prisoners at risk." "The over-crowding in all of the prisons in Western Australia has resulted in archaic conditions which are akin to those suffered by prisoners in Third World countries and breach International Human Rights Standards to which Australia is a signatory." "We call on the judiciary to ensure that when committing citizens of Western Australia to custodial sentences, that the prison accommodation and facilities meet UN Minimum Standards." Media Contact: Kath Mallott: work 08 9277-1533 or mobile 04199-30375 Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA) Inc) 119 Mathieson Road, REDCLIFFE, Western Australia, 6104 "The beginning of the cause of deaths in custody does not occur within the confines of police and prison cells or in the minds of the victims. Initially it starts in the minds of those who allow it to happen." Elder Dr. Jack Davis (OA, MBE) * [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.omen.net.au/~dicwc * ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/
