24 November 1998
(Public Seminar)

Chair:
Judge Greg Woods, District Court of NSW

Speakers:
"The Diminishing Returns on privatisation?: A National Survey of U.S. Private Prisons"
Dr James Austin, Executive Vice-President, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Washington DC,

"Operational Issues in Private Prisons"
Mr Kelvin Anderson, General Manager, Victorian Operations, Corrections Corporation of Australia,

"Community Monitoring of the Private Prison: Implications for NSW"
Mr Jim Mellor, Founder of Private Prison Watch (a Positive Justice Centre project),

Professor Arie Freiberg, Department of Criminology, University of Melbourne,

Convenor:
Dr Garry Coventry, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney

A most significant shift in Australian correctional practices has been the introduction of privatised prison facilities in recent years. Whether Australia should expand this sector of corrections is a matter of public importance. Informed opinion requires input from a range of areas including government, correctional service providers, the broader community and its agencies. Through these voices that represent organisational interests, as well as the imprisoned population, we might be better prepared to assess the relative merits of future alternatives for corrections in New South Wales.

This public seminar has been organised to provide different perspectives on the operations of private prisons and important matters regarding the extent to which these developments have maintained or altered the public accountability of our prison systems. Speakers will draw on available research evidence, prison operational practices and public policy issues that require careful consideration for formulating government options. Reference to other jurisdictions, both in Australia and overseas, where private facilities operate will be featured in presentations.