Advocate demands immediate halt to strip searching in women’s prisons
Women in Queensland’s carceral system say they felt ‘stripped of their dignity,’ according to a review of strip-searching in women’s prisons, released by Queensland Human Rights Commission last month.The review was conducted in collaboration with Queensland Corrective Services, who say they’re “committed to improving outcomes for incarcerated women…” Amongst 24 recommendations, the review calls for an eventual end to the practice.
But, human rights advocate and Sisters Inside CEO, Debbie Kilroy says the recommendations don’t go far enough in ending the violence against women… and immediate abolition of the practice is needed.
The Wire contacted Queensland Corrective Services who provided the following statement from a QCS Spokesperson:
Queensland Corrective Services notes the report released by the Queensland Human Rights Commission on the practice of removal of clothing (RoC) searches.
QCS is committed to improving outcomes for incarcerated women by adopting a trauma-informed approach, and we welcomed the opportunity to participate in the review of practices.
QCS is already implementing a trial of body scanner technology to explore options to seek to eliminate the need for RoC searches for women in custody.
We will consider the recommendations in the report to identify opportunities and learnings.