RR Phantom
Location : Wasted Space
Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
 |  Subject: OZschwitz: Female prisoners hit record high  Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:19 pm | |
| ELIZABETH COX has someone waiting for her when she gets out of jail - a pet snake.
The 29-year-old inmate at the Dillwynia women's prison at South Windsor works in its wildlife centre, caring for injured, orphaned and seized animals as part of a prisoner rehabilitation program.
For eight months she has looked after the rats and mice, specially bred to feed the centre's snakes.
Cox is one of a record number of women now in NSW jails. Latest figures released by Justice Minister John Hatzistergos show the number of female prisoners increasing at more than twice the rate of men.
On June 1 women prisoner numbers hit 748 - a rise of 219, or 41percent compared to June 2003. For men the number rose from 7565 to 9083, a rise of 20percent.
Experts say a rise in the number of women abusing alcohol and using illegal drugs, as well as a greater willingness for judges and magistrates to jail women, is behind the jump.
Cox said she was looking forward to getting out of jail. "They're my babies, I love them," she said, cuddling a white rat. "Though it's death row for mice in here."
Another inmate, Jen (not her real name) earned $1300 a week managing a small business and worked hard putting her 13-year-old son through private school.
But she hid a secret. The 36-year-old smoked marijuana daily and snorted up to 10 lines of cocaine at night. Her increasing addiction led her into drug-dealing and robbery. She now faces up to 12 years in jail.
She and inmate Laura (not her real name) who is serving a five-year sentence, said jail had given them the opportunity to kick their addictions and change their destructive lifestyles.
Jen said: "I've smoked pot for 20 years and I was always able to function and hold down a job but now I'm off it and it's like I'm learning to live again.". Laura used heroin, speed and ice. She said: "You don't get enough money from Centrelink to support your habit so you have to do crime. Jail was a big wake-up call for me and I won't be back."
Law Society president Hugh Macken said the courts might once have been hesitant to jail women. Now, that applied less. But he said most women were given short sentences, restricting meaningful access to the jail's education and health programs.
Mr Hatzistergos said more women were in jail because of a rise in average minimum sentences for those convicted of violent offences and the number on remand due to tougher bail laws.
"There has been an increase in the proportion of women serving sentences of five years or more."
Dillwynia general manager Shari Martin said many of the women had "tragic lives" dealing with unemployment, abuse and mental health issues.
"They might seem tough but they're quite vulnerable and have no confidence or self-esteem," she said.
Dillwynia offers literacy and numeracy education, behaviour management, drug and alcohol counselling and TAFE-accredited courses such as hospitality.
Each Tuesday the prisoners' children can visit. And all but maximum-security inmates have keys to their own cells.
But Ms Martin said that, despite the pleasant surroundings, inmates - from petty thieves to murderers - have to earn their place in Dillwynia.
If they don't comply with the daily prison routine they are segregated or transferred to the maximum security Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre in Sydney.
"They don't come here to be punished, they come to address their offending behaviour," Ms Martin said. "It's up to the individual to better themselves - we can give them everything they possibly need and all the help in the world but if they are not willing to change their lifestyle they get out and keep offending."
LNK
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