A report tabled in the Victorian Parliament today by the Victorian Auditor-General highlights the impact the mismanagement of Ravenhall Prison has had on reoffending outcomes and the safety of the community.
Ravenhall Prison was initially commissioned under the Napthine Liberal Nationals Government as a medium security sentenced prison with a focus on innovative rehabilitation programs to support prisoners in breaking the cycle of offending.
Due to the mismanagement of Victoria’s correctional system under the Andrews Labor Government, Ravenhall is now an effective remand facility – with the Auditor General finding 52 per cent of all inmates at Ravenhall are on remand, many of which are unlikely to access rehabilitation programs.
The Auditor General found these changes to Ravenhall Prison under Daniel Andrews has significantly compromised its ability to achieve its prisoner rehabilitation outcomes, and that Corrections Victoria maintains no evaluation framework to assess the link between rehabilitation interventions offered and its recidivism outcomes.
With Victoria operating the nation’s most expensive, yet worst performing prisons, it’s unacceptable that the safety of the community has been further threatened due to the mismanagement of Victoria’s largest prison under the Andrews Government.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Corrections, David Southwick:
“Daniel Andrews’ mismanagement of our prisons is placing the justice system and the safety of the community in jeopardy.
“Ravenhall was designed to offer innovative programs to get offenders out of a life of crime – but Andrews has all but given up.”