O鈥橣arrell Government cost cutting hits supervision of inmates on orders or parole
The O鈥橣arrell government鈥檚 cuts to prison and parole officer numbers and vital programs such as Community Offender Services is a serious compromise of the safety of staff and the wider community, according to the Public Service Association of NSW.
鈥淎ccommodation services provided by the Community Offender Services Program are a safety net for a supervised re-entry of inmates on orders or parole back into the broader community,鈥 Senior Industrial Officer Evan Cole said today.
鈥淭he community values the role of the program鈥檚 trained professionals in monitoring whether the rehabilitation of serious offenders has been successful or early intervention is needed.
鈥淭his is not a job we should be expecting inexperienced charities to pick up.
鈥淭he closure of these residence facilities will increase the pressure on NSW鈥檚 stressed prison system. At a time when inmate numbers are on the rise, the State Government has cut 350 jobs in jails across the state.
鈥淧rison officers are telling us that many prisons are already crowded or running at high prisoner-to-staff ratios 鈥 placing officer safety at jeopardy.
鈥淭he government told the community its cuts to the public service wouldn鈥檛 include frontline jobs yet there are already 72 less people supervising dangerous offenders in the community.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 get any more frontline than the loss of more than 450 prison and parole officers,鈥 Mr Cole said.