Developing objective classification systems in Australian correctional jurisdictions
National Criminal Justice Modelling Workshop: 2003
Presenters: Dr Garry Coventry, Responsible Action and Research, Victoria
Elena Torday, Department of Juvenile Justice, New South Wales
Wendy Naro, Institute on Crime, Washington, United States of America
Michelle Wood, Department of Corrections, Victoria
Overview of presentation:
In recent times, objective prison classification systems for security or custody purposes have replaced subjective or clinically based assessments in a great number of western world jurisdictions. Available evidence indicates that such systems once introduced tend to reduce the over-classification of inmates, levels of misconduct and escapes. Such objective classification systems do not purport to predict the likelihood of recidivism among those who are released from custody. It is important to recognise that they are not designed to assess the public risk potentially presented by such populations.
Objective classification within institutions is a custody purpose tool and not related to behaviour after release. Moreover, it is not a system designed for customised programming of inmate needs while in detention. Its focus is security concerns for correctional staff and other inmates.
Australian jurisdictions, generally, have not adopted independently 'normed' external objective prisoner classification systems. To do so requires data gathering and analysis at the local level. Our work, however, involves Corrections Victoria and the Department of Juvenile Justice in New South Wales. These projects, implemented in December 2002 and March 2003, respectively, illustrate the kinds of requirements needed to fully implement an objective security/custody classification instrument for purposes of classifying adult and young offenders in correctional facilities.
Our intention for this workshop session is to discuss and debate key ideas about a number of essential departmental policy and procedural changes. These include desirable departmental committee structures; necessary staff background work prior to implementing changes to classification procedures; and, possible legislative initiatives and workplace culture challenges that present themselves in efforts that attempt a major reform of prison (both adult and young people) classification practices. Experiences in Victoria and New South Wales offer a comprehensive assessment of this kind of work that may offer insights for other jurisdictions.
The workshop will cover the development and trialling of objective classification systems in the correctional arm of the criminal justice system. To our knowledge, the Victorian adult and New South Wales juvenile correctional jurisdictions are the first to seriously venture on such paths in recent years.
Collectively, their experience provides a most updated account of the procedures necessary to implement initial and ongoing objective security/custody assessments of inmate populations, including remand prisoners. The structures, as well as the experiences of Victoria and New South Wales's authorities responsible for prisons, necessary to introduce such systems will be canvassed.
| Release | PDF Size | |
|---|---|---|
| Developing objective classification systems in Australian correctional jurisdictions (Dr Garry Coventry) | (30 kB) | |
| Developing objective classification systems in Australian correctional jurisdictions (Elena Torday) | (175 kB) | |
| Developing objective classification systems in Australian correctional jurisdictions (Wendy Naro) | (85 kB) | |
| Developing objective classification systems in Australian correctional jurisdictions (Michelle Wood) | (55 kB) |
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Last reviewed: Aug 25, 2009, Last modified: Dec 13, 2006
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