Australian Prisons: Recent Statistics, Disturbing yet Legal Police Behavior

Unlawful Police Power, Going To Jail NSW And Over-Policing

“Over-policing” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is an issue that was highlighted by the Redfern Legal Center head of police accountability and government law, Samantha Lee. Ms Lee cited tougher bail laws, more police powers and the Suspect Targeting Management Plan (STMP), that’s unique to NSW, as reasons for the inequity.

Lawyer and advocate Samantha Lee identified that NSW police were unlawfully strip searching Australians. It was for this reason that the RLC began the ‘Safe & Sound’ campaign, in order to stop the high number of police strip searches. These questionable NSW searches revealed that many of the people were subjected to these practices, “were left feeling humiliated, scared and traumatized”. What’s even more disturbing is that “nothing was found on them and the police failed to follow correct legal procedures.”

When people’s legal rights are so heavily infringed upon, it’s no wonder why our justice system is being called into question.

Gaol Australia and the technology used to monitor Australians

This is reminiscent of Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller “Minority Report”, in which preemptive tactics were used to reduce crime rates.

While this film is fictitious, it’s extremely disturbing to think that the NSW law enforcement watchdog is actually sanctioning such initiatives. How can this be legal? Children as young as 10 years old are being monitored “despite them not having committed any crime”.

Prison surveillance: Is this actually legal in Australia?

New laws would allow any criminal in jail suspected of posing a terror-threat to be put under surveillance. What happened to the basic tenet of ‘innocent until proven guilty’?

The US government has been accused of similar wrongdoings since 9/11 and most Australians vehemently disagree with the practices. It’s a constant topic of discussion, as to whether or not the rights of the society outweigh the rights of the individual in matters of ‘homeland protection’. This definitely begs the question whether our legal rights are in jeopardy, given these new Australian laws.

Do you think Australians are even aware that this is occurring ‘in our own backyards’?

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