QLDTownsville: Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence has announced plans to establish a female prison camp in north Queensland.

The Honourable Judy Spence
Minister for Police & Corrective Services
stat...@qld.gov.au

23/02/2006

Today Ms Spence revealed she had written to local shire councils this week, encouraging them to submit an expression of interest to establish a work camp in partnership with the Department of Corrective Services.

The north Queensland camp would become just the second female prison camp in both Queensland and Australia - the only other female work camp is in Warwick, in western Queensland.

"These Work OutReach Camps provide thousands of hours of community service in regional Queensland, and have provided about $5 million in labour for various projects in western Queensland communities between 1995 and 2000," Ms Spence said.

"Community organisations that benefit include the Queensland Ambulance Service, local councils, churches, sporting associations, primary and high schools, environmental groups, the RSPCA, cemeteries and welfare organisations such as Ozcare and the Salvation Army."

Ms Spence said the WORC program had undertaken a range of local community projects during 2004/05, such as:

* building and garden maintenance and restoration work for parks, hostels, community centre, historical societies and recreation clubs;

* cleaning enclosures at animal refuges, as well as exercising and feeding the animals;

* cleaning, grading and packaging used spectacles for shipment to developing countries; and

* removing noxious weeds and planting native trees and shrubs on the Maroochy beach dunes.

"This program provides offenders with new skills such as wood turning, carpentry and French polishing which they can use once they are released into the community," Ms Spence said.

Ms Spence said the camps had the additional benefit of injecting funds into the towns through the local purchase of food, equipment and other essential items.

"This program is a valued opportunity for female offenders to give back to the community," Ms Spence said.

"The camps enable offenders to deliver a range of services in an environment that encourages positive behaviour and attitudes, while ensuring security is maintained at the assessed level of risk.

"These open custody camps were restructured last year, and are now aligned to correctional centres which is enabling more efficient, cheaper and safer movement of staff and inmates."

Ms Spence said the prison camp program began in 1990, when prisoners were sent to Charleville to help clean up after the devastating floods there.

The Department of Corrective Services currently manages 10 WORC sites.

Ms Spence said she had written to nine local councils within three to four drive hours of Townsville seeking their interest in the initiative.

Media contact: Alison Smith 3239 6218 / 0439 673 287