The terrible neglect of successive NT governments in funding rehabilitation services for prisoners has been an absolute disgrace and continues to offer only token resistance to breaking the cycle of violence that afflicts the territory.

Charitably referred to as 'spartan' the NT rehabilitation services in many cases just did not exist. In 2003 there were strong prison based violent offenders programs in states such as NSW which funded up to 800 hours per offender and WA where it was 450 hours. The NT had none.

An assessment done by CAYA Management Consulting International Inc for the NT correctional services in 2003 found “The report correctly identifies significant gaps in rehabilitation opportunities provided to prisoners within the Northern Territory, and makes recommendations that aim to enhance the range, scope, and efficacy of rehabilitation options available to prisoners.”

Yet by 2009 the NT still had the lowest spend per offender on corrective services, $164 per day, of all the states and territories. Compare that to $349 per day in the ACT.

The Australia institute of Criminology tells us that the prison based drug and alcohol program in the NT is low intensity at 24 hours of 'psycho-educational' services per offender. Compare again to the high intensity of 100 hours of therapeutic intervention for prisoners in WA. Additional WA has another program called “Indigenous Men Managing Anger and Substance Use (IMMASU) which is another 55 hours of intervention.

While the NT's domestic violence program of 54 hours per offender is about the average for jurisdictions around the country they were still working under old paradigms. “The moderate to high-intensity (75–100 hours) domestic violence programs have moved away from feminist theoretical orientations and towards social learning and behaviourist perspectives; more in line with theories associated with the management of other types of violence and aggression.”

There is arguably not another area in Australia where the need for adequate rehabilitation services is so dire yet the NT remains the least funded. This is a wrong that certainly deserves our outrage.

csteele,

'The terrible neglect of successive NT governments in funding rehabilitation services for prisoners has been an absolute disgrace and continues to offer only token resistance to breaking the cycle of violence that afflicts the territory. '

I know you are unlikely to accept it csteele but rehabilitation services simply have little or no affect on indigeneous prisoners. I know many who have gone through numerous programs to no affect. Usually someone rehashes an idea, launches it enthusiactly with Government funding and then it dies out with next to no success and sometimes doing more harm.

Thank you, Runner.

C. Steele, you write about rehabilitation. Rehabilitation ?! For Christ's sake, we're talking about thugs and rapists and murderers, and you go on about fcuking rehabilitation ? What about PREVENTION ? How to stop men - after all, that's who the 'rehabilitatees' would be - from committing such violent acts against their beloveds, and their nieces and nephews ? Yeah, it takes a community to raise a child, all right - and one ghastly act to destroy a community too.

But anybody who has ever worked with such people, whether in alcohol or drug or family-violence or child-abuse programs - knows that nothing so far has worked effectively. If an Abbott government is elected in the next couple of months, guess what programs are going to be axed ? And thank Christ - then we can get down to business, women and kids might gain some breathing space.

I suspect that there will be a huge crop of social workers etc, who will be looking for work after Abbott gets in.

Wonderful. Then we might start to get somewhere.

Joe

I agree with you Joe.
There needs to be immediate action taken to remove the offending men and women from their homes and keep them out.

If the indigenous kids aren't brought up with violence, then maybe it won't keep repeating itself with every generation.

Forget the 'stolen generation' and start a 'new generation'.

And I don't mean that e should only do this with Aboriginal Australians, but with all violent homes.

Dear runner,

So let me get this straight. You think we shouldn't be funding rehabilitation services because they 'simply have little or no affect on indigeneous(sic) prisoners'. What a bloody minded and unchristian thing to say. What empirical evidence do you have to make such an assertion? I give facts and figures and you think claiming “I know many who have gone through numerous programs to no affect” will cut it? Not a hope laddie.

How about this, why don't we try and fund rehabilitative services to NT indigenous prisoners at least to the levels the rest of us enjoy in our southern states and see if that has an effect.

Actually I'm firmly convinced you are purely and simply just bitter about any money being spent at all.

Dear Loudmouth,

I'm sick and tired of the old 'knows that nothing so far has worked effectively' being trotted out every time. Rehabilitation services in the NT have always been markedly behind those of all the other jurisdictions in this country and the results speak for themselves. As adequately funding it hasn't been tried at all in the NT that surely would be a marvellous place to start one would have thought.

Rehabilitation and behavioural intervention programs do have a very good track record when done properly. It isn't being done so in the NT. The need is demonstrably enormous yet you and runner want none of it. Rough justice or nothing huh?

I agree runner but too think the shame has been in many threads here some I started.
Loudmouth has a thread started that is about this problem in part.
He, for that matter me too, understand some self reliance is called for.
And far less interference by the soft heads and hearts, put brains there too, of do gooder,s.
Why do we call those failures do gooder,s?
The very last thing they are is do gooder,s.

A point I believe in totally, men who bash women, ill treat them, no matter what race, are unsure of their manhood and need help.