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2 Hum. Rts. Defender 1 (1993)

handle is hein.journals/hurighdef2 and id is 1 raw text is: THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Human Rights Defender 1. University of New South Wales PO Box 1 Kensington 2033 Australia Ph (61 2) 697 2227 Fax (61 2) 313 7209 ISSN 1039-2637 Vol 2 No 1 1993 Australian prisons in breach of international standards Inadequate physical conditions, together with a lack of under- standing of international standards, are symptomatic of Australian prison conditions, according to numerous media reports of the last -two months. Amnesty International has criticised the Alice Springs prison for continuing to use dormitory style ac- commodation, despite the recom- mendations of the Royal Commission in Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (see page 2 ). The Legal Aid Commission in Victoria also presented a report on prison conditions, Custody in Police Cells, criticising the new Geelong court complex and the proposed Franks ton building. As reported in the Herald-Sun, Feb 9, the Commission believes that UN standards should apply. But not so the Police;'Unfortunately, the Vic- torian Police Department's view- point in the past has been that UN standards are guidelines only and that there is no requirement to comply', the report said. Design plans restrict prisoners to exercising in confined yards without fresh air, and toilets that lack privacy. The Report highlights several cases, without naming the specific police cells involved. They included a defendant who would normally have been transferred to Pentridge after sentencing being held for 10 days without a change of clothes or seeing daylight. Women or child prisoners at another complex were kept in isolation and were not al- lowed visits for up to a week. The release of the report follows the death of a 29-year-old man in the Melbourne city watchhouse on Feb 8. The UN standards require prisoners to be able to use toilet facilities in a clean and decent man- ner and windows should allow fresh air in places where prisoners live and work. - Cont page 2 - The Amnesty Report. First Defender issue for 1993 The Human Rights Defender' brings you its first issue for 1993, hoping that you will help make this national human rights newsletter d success during the year. The Defender will be produced bi-monthly, covering a wide range of human rights topics. This issue ran- ges from child care to prisons, from El Salvador's peace process to India's proposed new Human Rights Com- mission. Coveringissues inAustralia as well as the wider Asia-Pacific region, we hope to present an inter- nationalist perspective for people ac- tively involved in human rights. The Editorial Team comprises Jane Hearn, Rebecca Peters and John Scott-Murphy. The University of NSW Human Rights Centre receives a steady stream of information from NGOs and institutions around the world. Some of this will find its way onto these pages. Original contributions are wel- come from all sources. Correspon- dence is encouraged. The back page provides a guide to potential con- tributors. The Defender needs subscrip- tions to survive. Please subscribe if you want to receive the newsletter regularly. There is a subscription form at the back. Human Rights Defender Vol 2 No 1. Feb 1993 Page 1 Digitized from Best Copy Available

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