G4S AUSTRALIA | PORT PHILLIP PRISON

CREATIVE APPROACHTO PRISON

MANAGEMENTAsk any criminologist what is a major contributor to the world’s prisons being so full and you are likely to get a one word answer “recidivism”. Its the chronic tendency on the part of some individuals to repeat their criminal or social misbehaviour, despite the consequences.

That inclination is so strong that even the fear of losing their freedom through further prison sentences is not enough to stop them re-offending. In Australia, for example, a 2014 ABS report reveals that almost 60% of all prisoners, male and female, have been imprisoned prior to their present incarceration – a statistic that is similar to most other developed countries.

Bucking that trend, however, is Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state, which has seen a steady decline in recidivism, from 47.6 percent in 2002– 03 to 36.8 percent in 2012-13. It has achieved that result by supporting a number of programmes designed to enhance the transition from prison back into the community by providing new skills on which they can build.G4S is proud to be part of the successful approach to this result through it’s operation at the 1107 bed, maximum security Port Phillip Prison (PPP) in Melbourne. Not only was G4S Correctional Services – Australia (G4S) a partner in the consortium which designed and built PPP but it has also managed the facility since it began operations in 1997 under a 20 year agreement. Now working with Corrections Victoria (CV), G4S is not

only satisfying the Government’s need to provide a safe and secure environment for all prisoners at the multi-purpose facility, but is also devising creative and innovative programmes that will help prisoners successfully re-integrate into the community post-release.

In little more than 17 years, PPP, a custodial centre principally for remand prisoners, has developed into a very different facility. Today 80 per cent of its population are sentenced maximum security prisoners and the remainder are on remand awaiting trial. G4S has successfully adopted a flexible and creative approach to running the facility amidst it continued growth and change.

Today, in the words of Brendan Money, Assistant Commissioner, Offender Management, Department of Justice (DoJ) in Victoria, PPP is a “significantly complex and diverse facility that plays a critical role in our system”.

Its significance becomes apparent when one looks beyond the high fences and secure entrance that keep prisoners confined within its perimeter. Inside is a small, self-contained town providing wide range of services that G4S manages in order to satisfy the many and varied needs of the prisoners.

“Port Phillip Prison has a unique function in terms of the men’s prison system in Victoria,” Money explains, “in that it manages all aspects of our business within the one facility, so it displays characteristics of our total prison population.”

Dennis Roach, PPP’s Director for five years before being

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Port Phillip Prison is a “significantly complex and diverse facility that plays a critical role in our system”.

appointed G4S Managing Director, Care and Justice in Australia and New Zealand, and most recently Managing Director for the sub-region of Australia, NZ and PNG, explains that the prison is very much the hub of Victoria’s prison network, it accommodates many prisoners who return to Melbourne (from Regional Prisons) for court, medical or reclassification purposes in addition to managing sentenced prisoners.“We manage seven cohorts: protection, youth, medical, mainstream, management, cognitive impaired and prisoners with psychiatric needs,” Roach adds. “We are also exceptional in terms of the number of female correctional officers we employ – over one third of our custodial staff – which is very high when compared with other jurisdictions in Australia.”

The prison functions using a “neighbourhoods” model of operations. Each of the four “neighbourhoods” has a Senior Operational Manager who is responsible for the day to day management and performance of their area.

The prison operates both domestic and revenue producing industries from a number of purpose built facilities and a range of “satellite” industries are dotted across the site. A number of prisoners are employed in the accommodation units, kitchen, laundry, hospital, admissions and programme units.

HEALTH SERVICES

Acute medical, surgical and psycho-social care at PPP is delivered by G4S’s partner, St Vincent’s Correctional Health Service (SVCHS). The prison also provides secondary and tertiary in-patient care for all prisoners in the state, providing in excess of 5,000 medical appointments per month (as at June 2014). In addition to managing a 20 bed inpatient ward within the prison, SVCHS and G4S also operate a 10 bed maximum security ward at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. G4S and SVCHS are also working in collaboration to develop a Tele-Health service (medical consultations via video-link).

EDUCATIONAL CENTRE

The flexible learning centre offers courses delivered by another G4S partner; Kangan Institute. These courses

include Literacy and Numeracy, English as a Second Language (ESL), Information Technology, Hospitality, Horticulture, Textiles, Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S), Industrial Cleaning, Transport & Logistics. Koori Art and Koori Education (Mumghu- Dhal) especially for Indigenous prisoners who account for around 12% of the prison population – are also on the curriculum. Prisoners are able to apply for full-time education and have access to distance learning. PPP has received a major Human Rights award for the programmes involving indigenous prisoners.

INDUSTRIES

Revenue-producing industries are run from ten industry complexes across the Site. These include skills development in; textile, commercial laundry, assembly and packaging, metal fabrication and powder-coating. In addition, many of the prisoners are employed in Service Industries providing cleaning, food preparation, laundry and maintenance services to all areas of the prison. All able sentenced prisoners are required to work, whilst prisoners on remand are also encouraged to participate in work programmes. On average 75 – 80 % of able prisoners are engaged in work activity. In an effort to reflect the importance of a safe workplace, all inmates are required to undergo mandatory OH&S training, or specialised vocational education courses prior to and during their employment to enhance their skills and increase their likelihood of gaining meaningful employment on release. All prisoners complete a job application form and undergo an interview process for suitability.

KOORI PROGRAMMES

With Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders accounting for approximately 12% of the prison population at Port Phillip, and statistics indicating a recidivism rate for indigenous males in Victoria at over 67%, G4S believes it is important to provide both tailored educational programmes and cultural activities which recognise the specific needs of this population. A dedicated Koori Liaison Officer is employed to assist Indigenous prisoners when they first enter the prison and on an on-going basis. In addition to access to the general education programmes including the opportunity to obtain certificates in vocational skill areas, such as Business

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Management and Engineering, there are courses such as Koori Faces. This programme is designed to help the men to better understand their culture and importantly how to share it with their children. A very popular programme is also Reading for Children, whereby they can record themselves reading a story, including aboriginal dreamtime, and the disc is then sent to their children. It is a tangible way for them to feel connected to their family.

G4S also funds an art programme for the men. This ‘diversion’ programme offers a creative outlet and a meaningful way for the men to express themselves and provides the opportunity for them to pass on their artwork to their families.

A Koori Quiet Area has also been set aside on the site. This has been decorated with traditional art by some of the men and includes a fire pit which houses ashes from an external sacred site. Every week a Koori Men’s Group is held in the quiet area, hosted by the Liaison Officer, which is an opportunity for each of the men to discuss issues and positive occurrences for that week and share the strength of the group. Every two weeks an Elder visits the group to offer additional support and guidance.

PENHYN YOUTH UNIT

Specific offending behaviour programmes and services for young adult prisoners provided in the Youth Unit at PPP have attracted wide attention and recognition. These programmes are based on awareness of the vulnerability of youths (prisoners aged 18 to 25) in an adult prison setting. A ground-breaking small business programme, Doin’ Time, involves young prisoners being mentored by local business people and supported by some of Australia’s largest companies. In this way, young prisoners develop personal skills designed to reduce the risk of re-offending and help them to become better placed in job opportunities on their return to the commmunity. Their T-shirt printing business, inspired by G4S youth development officer Anne Hooker, has raised over $160,000 for various charities. All the jobs, from CEO to packer, are filled by the young offenders. The enterprise has won many awards.

It was in the youth unit that the innovative Prisoner Listener Scheme was introduced in the prison’s early days, using

trained prisoners to support others in times of distress. Its initial aim was to reduce suicide and self-harm, and it resulted in the International Corrections & Prisons Association creating a prestigious award in its Offender Management/Treatment and Reintegration category in 2005. The outstandingly successful programme has been widely implemented in other jurisdictions.

The young offenders unit at PPP have also recently been involved in an initiative entitled “Stories from the inside”. Stories from the Inside, is a powerful documentary made by young prisoners which they hope will change lives. Two years in the making, Stories from the Inside, focuses on a group of first-time offenders, aged 18 to 25 years. In 2011 a group of young prisoners from the Penhyn Youth Unit at PPP, approached the unit’s Youth Development Officer, Anne Hooker, about their concerns that young people can make very bad decisions and sometimes those decisions have dire consequences for all involved. Drawing from their own experiences, they considered the impact that their offending had on their victims, their families and friends. These young men wanted to create something of value out of their situation, that might in some way influence the choices other young people make and help prevent more victims.

Highly motivated to tell their stories as a way of giving back to the community, in the film they discuss the choices and mistakes that led them to being incarcerated, the effects of their actions on their victims themselves and their families and friends, the harsh reality of prison life, and their fears of rejection when they return to the outside world.

“Only first time offenders are involved in this project.” says Anne Hooker, “After thorough counselling and interviews with mentors and myself, we selected the prisoners who demonstrated sympathy for their victims, remorse and most importantly genuinely wanted to participate in the programme. Benefits were gained by the prisoners talking openly about the offence and the effects it has had on not only their victims but their family and friends, it was important that they recognised the detrimental effect on the community and the difficulties they may face in the future. “

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Having seen the positive impact of the Joint Treatment Programme and other achievements at PPP on care and justice in Australia, Assistant Commissioner Brendan Money comments: “We’ve been able to use some of the characteristics of the joint treatment programme so that we can create pathways for Cognitive Impaired prisoners across the broader system. This exchange of ideas and different approaches helps our system. Whether its private or public, its the exchange of ideas and expertise that’s important. We are all working together to improve the broader system. One positive aspect of G4S’s global involvement in care and justice services is that it can share improvements and best practice from other countries and cultures.”

VIOLENCE REDUCTION STRATEGIESA dedicated Violence Reduction Coordinator was introduced into PPP in late 2013, with the intention of creating an anti-violence culture in which perpetrators are challenged and victims are supported. This role continues to evolve, with current projects including the development of restrictive regimes for perpetrators of violence; individual management plans for identified violent prisoners; staff and prisoner awareness training; one to one and group interventions and trend analysis.

An example of this initiative; Body Worn Video cameras were introduced during 2014 and have already had a significant impact on violent behaviour across the site. “Hotspot” areas are targeted for camera allocation as well as high risk areas such as management units, where prisoners are separated from others due to their propensity for aggression or vulnerable status. Resulting camera footage is utilised in staff training programmes to evidence good practice and highlight areas for improvement. It is also a useful tool during incident investigations or as evidence for police prosecutions, as well as for bringing prisoners face to face with their aggression and its impact on themselves and others.

TRANSITIONAL PROGRAMMESA range of programmes that address offending behaviour are also on offer, designed to help with personal development and transition back into the community. These include cognitive skills, anger management and programs for quitting cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.

Not every prisoner responds to the efforts made at PPP to change their way of life and abandon crime, but G4S plays an important part in the reduction in the rate of recidivism in Victoria through it’s innovative approach to prison management, in partnership with Corrections Victoria.

G4S Care and Justice enquiries@au.g4s.comwww.au.g4s.com

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MARLBOROUGH UNIT - JOINT TREATMENT PROGRAMME

PPP has also expanded its community involvement through its Marlborough Unit for Cognitive Impaired prisoners. Launched in December 2007, the innovative Marlborough Joint Treatment Programme, which operates in partnership with Corrections Victoria and Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Services (a division of the Department of Human Services) recognises that prisoners with a cognitive impairment have complex needs that affect their ability to successfully reintegrate into the community and require long-term intervention. The programme delivers critical services and skills training to this special needs prisoner group, providing transitional, educational, offence specific treatment and employment opportunities to offenders with an intellectual disability. It is also designed to create a protected environment for offenders where they can feel safe in the correctional system and where they are given opportunities to learn new ways of living. The aim is for them to return to the community and live a stable and productive lifestyle whilst creating no more victims.

One example of this innovation is; prisoners, with the assistance of a horticulture teacher, have prepared garden beds and are responsible for growing vegetables and propagation of plants which are donated to local schools in the area to support the development of school vegetable gardens. Plants are also sold to staff with the money raised going back into the project to purchase more seedlings and equipment. The Unit’s water saving initiative collects water from roof guttering into two 22,500 litre tanks, and rainwater from a shed into a 3000 litre and 7000 litre tank. This allows PPP to harvest approximately 200,000 litres per year. The water is used to water the gardens, hot house sprinkler system and lawn areas. Since the programme started in 2006 over 10 million litres of drinkable water has been saved. Gardening Australia (ABC TV) recognised the uniqueness of the programme and not only featured it in their 2014 series but the host, Jane Edmanson, voted it her favourite garden for the year.

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