8 July 1991
Dear Mr Reyburn,
I am replying to your letter to me dated 19 June 1991 concerning
the proposed construction of a new gaol in the Alice Springs
region.
Your information is correct in that it is proposed to construct a
new maximum security institution to the south of Alice Springs.
This is as a replacement for the present Alice Springs Gaol which
has now outlived its usefulness in terms of facilities and
accommodation.
The inference of a "culturally appropriate gaol" would have been a
media coined expression and does not reflect the view of the
prison adminstration in the Northern Territory.
A major aim of this Government concerning prisoners is to ensure
that prisoners leave the prison system in better shape than when
they entered the system, with an emphasis on education, skills
acquisition and an overall learning of marketable skills when
discharged from prison.
Currently the Northern Territory Community Service Order program
involves over a hundred prison workers and offenders in worthwhile
community projects throughout the Northern Territory.
I thank you for your interest and trust that the foregoing
provides you with a clearer picture of the aims and endeavours of
this Government in respect of an enlightened prison system.
Yours sincerely
Marshall Perron.