Considering Australia was founded as a penal colony, it's no surprise we have a long and painful history regarding prisons. On this episode of Broken Chains, we talk to Brett Collins, former prisoner and manager of Justice Action, about the history of the prisoner movement in Australia, and current campaigns to improve the rights of incarcerated people.

Links:

• Check out the Justice Action website and their Facebook page.
• Read about the history of prisoner movement in Australia.
• Read about the 1976 Nagle Royal Commission into NSW Prisons.
• Read a biography on penal reformer Alexander Maconochie.
• Read about how prisoners around the world were released due to COVID, though not in Australia.
• Suliman, Adela; Eckardt, Andy; Joselow, Gabe (27 March 2020). "Coronavirus prompts prisoner releases around the world". NBC News. 
• Gregoire, Paul (8 May 2020). "Prisoners Lives Are Still at Risk: An Interview With Ex-Inmate Damien Linnane". Sydney Criminal Lawyers.
• Read about Serco's involvement in the prison system. 
• Flanagan, Francis (23 February 2020). "Public service, private contracts: how Serco was wired into our future". The Guardian.
• Holmes, Zeb; Nedim, Ugur (13 November 2017). "Serco-Run Facilities: Fraud, Failures and Fatal Errors". Sydney Criminal Lawyers.
• Perovic, Adele (5 November, 2018). "Despite crisis after crisis, government contracts still go to Serco". Crikey.
• It costs $525,000 to keep a child incarcerated in Australia for one year
• Incarceration Nation (Documentary). SBS. August 29, 2021. Event occurs at 1:19:25.
• Rogers, Des (26 August 2021). "New documentary 'Incarceration Nation' essential viewing for all Australians". ANTaR.
• In 2019  Mark Willacy of ABC's Four Corners  obtained more than 500 files detailing cases of children who have spent time in Queensland’s watch houses.

Views expressed disclaimer:

The views, thoughts, opinions expressed throughout this series are solely attributed to the host and guests of the program and do not reflect those of the City of Newcastle.