Fine non-payers flown to jail
Thousands of dollars are being spent on flying fine defaulters to WA jails, where one in five prisoners is behind bars solely to pay off fines, a parliamentary committee has been told.
During a State parliamentary estimates committee hearing yesterday, Department of Corrective Services deputy commissioner for adult custodial Heather Harker said it was "quite possible" fine defaulters would be flown from a remote community to a jail such as Broome Regional Prison for a "few days" to serve out their fine.
Ms Harker, who was acting Corrective Services Commissioner until former SAS commander James McMahon took over the role last month, said the department did try to co-ordinate prisoner movement as much as possible to minimise costs.
She said most of those who were flown to a prison were given a bus ticket after they were released to return home. "We keep those kinds of incidences to the minimum for obvious reasons because of the significant cost involved," Ms Harker said.
She said many fine defaulters were refusing to do community work because under the current legislation they could pay off their fines much faster in jail.
"We need to marry up the two so there is an advantage to them wanting to stay in the community," Ms Harker said,
Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis said incentives for defaulters to do community work rather than go to prison to pay off their fines should be examined.
"I think if you said the community service might be lower and the jail term will be higher in order to change people's decision-making process, I am more than happy to have those conversations," Mr Francis said.
Shadow corrective services minister Paul Papalia said fines were paid off at a rate of $250 a day in custody, $41 less than the cost of housing a prisoner in a WA jail for a day. He said a robust system that compelled fine defaulters to do community work needed to be developed.
Mr McMahon told the committee the department had faced a tough year, with major challenges including the riots at Banksia Hill Detention Centre and the prison population blowing out to the highest number on record, at 5032. He said an important focus for the department going forward would be reducing reoffending.
