Prisons

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Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said she would bring the legislation mid this year.

Victoria to ban ‘good character’ references from watering down sentences

Convicted offenders in Victoria will no longer be able to rely on good character references to reduce their sentences, after years of advocacy from child sex abuse survivors.

  • Rachel Eddie

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Reports that hundreds of men may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis C after sharing injecting equipment with a male prisoner have renewed calls for needle and syringe programs in Queensland prisons.

Calls for needle-exchange program after hundreds of prisoners at risk

Almost 300 people have potentially been exposed to HIV and hepatitis C in prison, but the state government has brushed aside calls for sterile equipment.

  • Courtney Kruk
Ravenhall Prison just before its opening in 2017.

Victorians pay $600 a day for every prisoner and rehabilitation is still failing

A prison purpose-built for slashing reoffending is failing to live up to its promise, with four out of 10 inmates back in jail within two years, a report has found.

  • Melissa Cunningham
Premier Jacinta Allan.

Secret payout after sexual assault by trans murderer in women’s prison

The confidential settlement, involving murderer Clinton Rintoull, follows an overhaul of how transgender prisoners are managed by Corrections Victoria.

  • Daniella White
Former director of Holmesglen TAFE Bruce Mackenzie is calling for sweeping reform of education and training in Australian prisons.

‘Abysmal’ completion rates for prison education leads to recidivism fears

Efforts to rehabilitate offenders through education in prison failing abysmally, say experts, who are calling for a new approach.

  • Noel Towell
Some prisoners would mark the days off with scratches on the wall.

When I was behind bars, time stopped. But you could never hide from the new year

When I was first arrested in Iran and thrown into a solitary confinement cell in Evin prison I would carve a line for each day into the soft plaster of the wall and try to work backwards to figure out the date.

  • Kylie Moore-Gilbert
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Rabhi Sobhi enters Darlinghurst District Court ahead of his sentence.

Former prison finance officer stole $315,000 from inmates’ family members

Rabhi Sobhi took the bail surety from prisoners’ loved ones and altered financial records. His case involved the longest delay a judge described seeing in 30 years.

  • Clare Sibthorpe
Youths on the roof of Banksia Hill on Monday.

Banksia Hill 17-hour rooftop riot exposes ‘hopelessness inside’, advocate says

Six detainees, aged between 12 and 17, climbed onto the roof of the Canning Vale youth prison on Monday. Three spent the night up there, damaging anything in their path.

  • Carla Hildebrandt
Artist impression of the new $100 million high-risk youth justice facility.

Unit 18 to remain open with replacement not available for three years

Papalia revealed the tender would be released next week, but it was likely the proposed centre wouldn’t be ready until 2028 and Unit 18 would remain open until the new facility is complete.

  • Hamish Hastie
Gary Waddell has been charged with intentionally sexually touching a child and possessing child abuse material.

The girl woke to find a man in her bedroom. Police later discovered something very disturbing

Former prison guard Gary Waddell had previously asked the girl to sell fetish photos and start an OnlyFans account. He has been sentenced to prison.

  • Amber Schultz