Jail Barbies Lure Back Inmates
The Sun Herald
Sunday February 16, 1992
OFFENDERS sentenced to weekend detention are being offered barbeque lunches and shopping expeditions to K mart in an attempt to improve attendance, the State Opposition revealed yesterday.
Only half those sentenced to Emu Plains weekend detention centre bothered to turn up, Labor's prison spokesman Tony Doyle said.
He said the State Government had expanded the periodic detention program because jails were bursting but a blind eye had been turned when criminals, often convicted of serious crimes-including homicide, assault, robbery, sex and drug offences-refused to turn up.
"Detainees, with a prison officer, have been seen parading through K mart. And barbecues and similar get-togethers are now a regular occurrence," he said.
An Emu Plains staff member claimed the "bribes" had not worked but this was rejected by acting director of the Periodic Detention Program, Steve D'Silva.
He said the barbecues were to provide lunch for detainees who often did hard work "out in the scrub". He said the visits to K mart were by a handful of detainees, to help load food trucks.
"They have been doing magnificent work and they have to be fed-so we gave them a sausage sizzle," he said. "No way were they given time off to go shopping".
Mr D'Silva said only six to nine per cent of detainees were absent without leave.
© 1992 The Sun Herald
