BackOn 19 June, the Palen Creen Correctional Centre inspection report was tabled in parliament. The report was prepared by the Queensland Ombudsman, Anthony Reilly, who is also the Inspector of Detention Services.
The men’s low-security prison is located at Rathdowney, approximately 100km south-west of Brisbane; it also manages work camps at Mitchell, Charleville, Dirranbandi and St George.
Areas of improvement
The report makes 27 recommendations for areas of improvement for the men’s rural prison, including:
- two hours out-of-cell time when detained in the holding cell, and notification required when making safety orders
- improving access to cultural support for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people
- development of an easy-read version of Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) complaint documents to increase accessibility for detainees
- expanded access to dental, optometry and physiotherapy services by Metro South Hospital and Health Service (Metro South HHS)
- support for prisoners to receive outpatient treatment at hospitals closer to the prison from QCS and Metro South HHS.
The centre runs industries, such as cattle production and creates a variety of farm produce, including vegetables, fruit and eggs, which supplement the centre kitchens.
In 2021-22, the work camps (Mitchell, Charleville, Dirranbandi and St George) contributed to local communities by assisting 141 community organisations. During this period, prisoners on the Work Camp Program throughout Queensland completed 144,223 hours of community service, the equivalent of $4 million in labour support for regional Queensland.
Work camps ensure the completion of valued community projects, especially for the people of regional and rural Queensland, that would not otherwise be completed due to labour shortages.
Read on the Office's website the:
Source: The Office of the Queensland Ombudsman, Australia
