The Wire

Yesterday a new custom built women’s prison in New South Wales called Dillwynnia took its first group of prisoners. On The Wire we heard from a number of women who have been in the prison system in Australia. Some of those women had strong views about the role of prison and believe that people need to take responsibility for their own actions. But some social justice advocates think crime is about more than personal responsibility. They argue that the context in which the crime was committed needs to be analysed and the broader picture needs to be taken into account. What role does society play in criminal behaviour? what kinds of responsibility should society take for victims and perpetrators of crime? …..and as social researcher, Neer Korn, asks: is it possible to punish people and rehabilitate them at the same time? Our government would have us believe that more prisons equal less crime, and more safety and security. But are we undermining Australian society by locking up and punishing the poor and disadvantaged? Ariane Minc spoke to Dr Mindy Sotiri, a Boardmember of the Community Restorative Centre – CRC, a non-government community organisation for prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families in NSW.