Prison farm solution

A RECENT edition of the Mercury carried a police report on crime statistics, which, while not particularly remarkable, nevertheless was a reminder that criminal activity is still an almost normal part of everyday life in Tasmanian cities.

Anyone who has been a victim of crime would certainly object strongly to such a conclusion, but the fact is that there is no serious attempt by government to deal with recidivism, or repeat offending, so many criminals, on release, go on to return immediately to the only trade they know, and we all suffer.

Believe me, there is nothing worse than knowing that a person who you would not knowingly invite into your home, has nonetheless been there and has left with your valued possessions, or, worse, you have suffered a physical attack or someone close to you has been assaulted.

Civilised society is not meant to be that way and while there are no foolproof options, there are still some very good ones, and they include, for example, jail farms, which have a dual purpose, notably that what they produce is used by such other public entities as hospitals, schools and jails themselves, however the most important by-product is that they offer a means of imparting future work skills to the prisoner and a glimpse of a more normal life than

they have ever previously experienced, thus they are no longer obliged to survive by following a criminal lifestyle.

It sounds like a no-brainer, and it is, but a previous government closed the fully functioning Hayes farm for undisclosed reasons some years ago, and of course it has never been replaced even though a new penal institution is to be built in a rural community not that far from Ashley – now there’s a constructive option! And our excellent police force deserves a better alternative than recatching criminals immediately after their release

As an aside, when a JP I had the privilege of visiting Hayes when it was fully functioning, and was impressed to discover that discipline was maintained by threatening to send inmates who misbehaved – and there were few – back to Risdon, and

this was a remarkably effective sanction.

David Keyes

Austins Ferry