National Cabinet has settled on standards for how to manage COVID-19 in Australia’s jails, but detainee advocacy groups say having inmates behind bars throughout the pandemic is like giving them the capital punishment.
Bottom line:
- States and territories agree PPE needs to be distributed to prisons if there is enough to spare needs to a break out occur
- Prison advocates liken the presence of COVID-19 in prison to a break out on a cruise ship
- The Government accepts develop “safe itinerary” for newly-released Indigenous prisoners
Jails have been epicentres for the infection in the United States and some US states have started to launch prisoners to try to stop the spread.
Prisoners’ advocate Debbie Kilroy said a break out in an Australian prison was unavoidable and would be ravaging.
Ms Kilroy is a previous detainee turned legal representative