Faith, Narrative and Prison Reform

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13, 1-3:

What does it tell us about a country when thousands of its children are incarcerated? In Australia 4,578 children, some as young as 10, are incarcerated every year. Importantly, 78% of these children are on remand, which means they have not been convicted of a crime. At the recent ‘Stories’ event, on the 15^th of March, 2024, hosted by the Hamilton Uniting Church, Newcastle, the more than 50 attendees reflected on that and other troubling statistics.

At the Jailing is Failing event, the second of the Hamilton Uniting church’s ‘Stories’ events, audience members reflected on how the failure of the Australian prison system highlights broader issues in our society. The hyperincarceration of First Nations children and adults highlighted the ongoing institutionalised colonialism that continues in Australia. While the cumulative disadvantage that underpins the lives of those involved with the criminal justice system, is an indicator of the rising inequity in Australia. This information was framed by Nelson Mandala’s claim that: “no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest” (https://www.unodc.org/conig/uploads/documents/Nelson_Mandela_Rules.pdf).

This awareness raising event was supported by Rob Hanks the minister at Hamilton Uniting, Judith Gresham a long-time member of the congregation, and volunteers from the congregation. It included presentations by three prison reform advocates, Claude Robinson the manager of the highly success post release program Rainbow Lodge, Patricia Morgan, Senior Research Officer at Justice Health, UNSW, Sydney, and Robert Tickner, ex-Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs and chair of the Justice Reform Initiative. Audience members also viewed the Expressions of Abuse and Agency: Drawing Lived Experience of Incarceration video and participated in an interesting and at times confronting Question and Answer session. They learnt that at least 40% of people in prison have mental illness, 29% of people in prison have a disability, half of all people in prison are homeless before entering custody, that First Nations children are imprisoned at almost 27 times the rate of non-Indigenous children, and a disproportionate number of people in prison come from a small number of ‘postcodes of disadvantage’ where access to education, healthcare, support, and employment are all lacking (The Justice Reform Initiative).

At the conclusion of the event audience members were given information about ways they could support prison reform and people involved with the criminal justice system. One way you can help criminal justice involved people is through the Work Development Order (WDO) program. WDO’s help people to reduce fines by doing unpaid work, attending courses, counselling, and treatment programs, and participating in research.

Dr Patricia Morgan

What you can do to support prison reform in Australia?

For More Information 

If you can provide opportunities to help clear justice involved individuals debt please go to this link: https://www.nsw.gov.au/money-and-taxes/fines-and-fees/advocates-and-sponsors/work-and-development-order-wdo-sponsors

If you would like to learn more about viable alternatives to incarceration please see: https://www.justicereforminitiative.org.au/reports

The next meeting of those who would like to support Prison Reform are meeting at Hamilton Uniting Church on the 15 April, 2025, starting at 5.30pm.