Prison & Justice Reform

Abolish Private Prisons

Private prisons are often cited as being home to more abuses than public prisons, and also often use prisoners for penal slave labour that private contractors profit from. And punitive justice generally has been consistently shown to perpetuate cycles of reoffending that harm public safety.

The Eureka Party supports the nationalisation of all private prisons, and the use of prisons owned by the federal government for pilot programs in restorative justice to prevent reoffending, increase public safety, and free up time for police to focus on more serious matters than constantly arresting repeat offenders.

Penal Job Guarantee for Restorative Justice

The Eureka Party supports court-determined suitable and safe criminal offenders from the age of 16 becoming mandatory members of the Public Works Army during their sentence, with full-time pay and rights with prison costs deducted, with a portion placed in a trust fund released upon the completion of their sentence and reintegration into society, the rest accessible for spending or remittance to family, and the option to remain in the PWA as a normal employee afterwards.

The Eureka Party supports stronger rehabilitative measures for youth criminals under the age of 16, including the court-ordered removal of vulnerable youth criminals from unsafe environments into youth training camps where they may receive full schooling and training, echoing the “Send ‘em out Bush” proposal by Katter’s Australian Party, with graduation into the Public Works Army at 16. Youth on camps will be permitted to maintain contact with family unless deemed unsafe for the young person, and emphasis will be placed on fixing unsafe home environments during the young person’s sentence.