Review of Victoria prison system highlights need for better trained workers

A recent report found Victoria’s prison system is rife with bullying, harassment, sexism and racism – creating an unsafe workplace for staff and impacting on the ability for prisoners to turn their lives around. Victoria must look at international best practice and ensure its staff are equipped and supported to perform challenging work.

A recent report on the culture of adult prisons across Victoria – the Cultural Review of the Adult Custodial Corrections System – found that bullying, harassment, sexism and racism are rife, both amongst prison staff and directed towards inmates.  

Prison staff told the Cultural Review that workplace bullying and harassment had caused many of them to leave their jobs or consider leaving, develop substance abuse issues, and suicidal ideation. A toxic culture among staff leads to an unsafe environment for inmates, who say that they avoid speaking up about mistreatment for fear it might affect their placement, safety or parole. 

As an example, one staff member told the Review, “we’ve got one prisoner who actually reported one of the officers because she did something inappropriate, and now nobody does anything for him. And if I do, then I’m a crook lover.” 

The Review described a system in transition – with tension between an older operational model focused on security and a newer system that is more therapeutic and rehabilitative. It notes that there is a growing understanding that punitive custodial conditions do not keep prison staff or community members safer. 

Another staff member commented, “the inability to self-reflect and fend off the influences of disgruntled, jaded, and bitter staff swiftly muddles the morals of new recruits who subsequently lean into the culture of punishing prisoners, as opposed to acting with the professionalism that our role demands.” 

The Review also found that Victoria’s prisons are particularly unsafe for Aboriginal people. At the time the report was written, a coronial inquest was taking place into the death of Veronica Nelson, an Aboriginal woman who died in custody on remand, which led to urgent calls for bail reform. Over the course of the Cultural Review, there have been two further deaths of Aboriginal people in custody. 

With more than 45 years of experience working with people in contact with the criminal justice system, Jesuit Social Services envisions an evidence-based criminal justice system underpinned by principles of restorative justice.  

We believe prison should only ever be used as a last resort, and that when it is used, systems must have the primary goal of rehabilitation and preparing people to return to the community. 

Inspiration can be found overseas, in countries where recidivism rates are low – where prison is more therapeutic and supports people to take a more positive path upon release. In 2017 and 2019, Jesuit Social Services embarked on our Justice Solutions tours, visiting countries with diverse youth justice systems and experiences, with a particular interest in jurisdictions with low rates of reoffending. 

We visited facilities in Missouri, Washington DC, New York, Seattle, Germany, Norway, United Kingdom and Spain, and later, New Zealand.  

One of the elements we observed as key to more effective systems was workforce capability. At the time of writing, corrections staff in Norway undertook a minimum of two years training, with both academic and on-the-job components, in areas including ethics, human rights, multicultural competence, psychology, sociology, criminology, law, social work, moral philosophy, re-integration and security. Potential students are screened for life experience and positive, humanistic attitudes and usually students are paid to undertake the training – making them the only paid students in Norway. Entry is competitive and the work is well respected in the community. In Ullersmo Youth Unit, Norway, there is a high ratio of staff to inmates, and half of staff are social workers. 

At the youth prison in Hameln, Germany, the Director had a background in psychology. A focus on treatment and planning had been consistently built up over many years. Staff were a mix of social workers, psychologists, trade teachers and prison guards. 

In Missouri, the Missouri Model centered around a concrete goal of rehabilitation, with every action and program linked back to that goal, setting the frame for what is required of staff and influencing their interactions with young people, their understanding of their role, and their motivation to support young people on a more positive path. 12.3 per cent of young people exiting secure custody in Missouri return to supervision within 12 months, compared to 74 per cent of young people in Australia exiting detention, who return to custody within 12 months. This low rate, however, captures a broader group of young people in Missouri’s youth justice system, including those who are in a range of institutional settings. 

Across the tour, we observed the positive impact of staff with the values, training and experience needed to meet the challenges of working with people in the justice system, and a lower staff turnover rate as a result. 

In our submission to the Cultural Review, we recommended that the Victorian Government promote a strong commitment to rehabilitation among the corrections workforce by embedding essential values in the recruitment process, and providing staff with ongoing training and development based on best practice approaches to working with people in prison. 

As the Review says, “reorienting the adult custodial corrections system to more effectively addressing recidivism will require significant government investment – in humane and appropriate infrastructure, in the capability and value of staff, in effective and sustainable approaches to supervised community participation, community transition and in quality healthcare.”

Workforce capability is only one part of the picture of a fairer, safer and more humane justice system, but the results of this review make clear it is essential.