[Greens-Media] Media Release: Jails still full of people awaiting trial

[David Shoebridge MLC]

*DAVID SHOEBRIDGE MLC***

*MEDIA RELEASE*

*12 October 2012***



*Jails still full of people awaiting trial*

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More than half of the young people in NSW jails and more than a quarter of
the adults have not been found guilty and are being held on remand awaiting
trial.  The fresh figures provided in NSW budget estimate hearings show the
ongoing failure of the State's bail laws.



Greens NSW Justice spokesperson David Shoebridge said:



"The O'Farrell Government came to office promising to fix the bail laws and
reduce the number of people spending months in jail awaiting trial, but so
far the situation is getting worse not better.



"For young people a staggering 53 per cent of those in jail are on remand
awaiting trial.



"Worse still an extraordinary 84 percent of the young people held on
remand, when they finally come to trial, are either acquitted or get a
non-custodial sentence.



"Many of these kids should not have spent a single night behind bars, let
alone months.



"Added to this, after 18 months of the Coalition government, the proportion
of Aboriginal young people in detention is growing.



"Aboriginal young people now make up 50 per cent of the juveniles in NSW
jails, when they represent just 3 per cent of that age group in the general
population.



"The situation for adult prisoners is also disturbing with 2,534 adults in
jail awaiting trial.



"From a total prison population of 9,624 this means 26 per cent of all
adult prisoners are in jail without having been found guilty of the crime
for which they are charged.



"It is well and truly time the government produced its response to the NSW
Law Reform Commission's Bail report.



"Every day that it is delayed costs the State government thousands of
dollars and sees far too many people being inappropriately held in our
jails.



"At a minimum this Government must immediately commit to funding supported
accommodation for those young people who are refused bail because they do
not have a fixed address," Mr Shoebridge said.



Link to the full Budget Estimates  transcript
here<http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/committee.nsf/0/9cc66ef84228b15fca257a9400057140/$FILE/67592099.pdf/Transcript%20-%2010%20October%202012%20-%20Uncorrected%20-%20Budget%20Estimates%20201213%20-%20Attorney%20General%20-%20Justice.pdf>
:

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*Media Contact:  9230 3030 *


-- 
*

David Shoebridge

Greens MP in the NSW Legislative Council

P: (02) 0408 113 952|Media: 0433 753 376|T:
@ShoebridgeMLC<http://twitter.com/#%21/shoebridgemlc>

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