Stephen from Justice Not Jails

Stephen Enciso from Justice Not Jails joined Baini on the Big Brekky Show to discuss the Northern Territory government’s recent announcement for a new private prison facility in Darwin. The planned 1200-bed men’s facility was unveiled last week by the CLP government in response to the need to keep up with the demands of an increasing prison population and harsh incarceration conditions. Stephen condemned the plans and pointed at the injustices of the current remand system as the more pressing issue that needs to be addressed. “Remand shouldn’t exist. We shouldn’t be detaining people prior to trial at all. These are people that are technically innocent, they haven’t been found guilty of any offence, and they’re spending really lengthy periods on remand… The situation is such that people are incentivised to plead guilty so they can wrap up their matter quicker. That’s not really a justice system at all. So building a specific facility for remand is a step in the wrong direction.” Stephen offered several suggestions as to how the government could better invest in systemic change to reduce the incarceration rates in the community. Addressing the housing crisis and increasing drug and alcohol rehabilitation capacity are two areas that he believes would improve social harm in the community. Formed in response to the CLP government’s first act of parliament to lower the age of criminal responsibility, the grassroots collective ‘Justice Not Jails’ has been taking action against the government’s ‘tough on crime’ strategy ever since.  If you’d like to get involved with Justice Not Jails, you can reach them on Facebook or InstagramSupport the show: https://8ccc.com.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.