Social Justice Sunday falls on the last Sunday in September and Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs, Senator Penny Wright, has called for a halt to increasing incarceration rates throughout Australia.

“The imprisonment rate in Australia is outpacing population growth. We need to pause and reflect on what is happening in our society and address why this is happening,” Senator Wright said.

“Law and order campaigns, and hysterical reporting of crime encourage the view that the only solution is to lock more people up. But this isn’t working. While prison populations are increasing and more prisons are needed, we are not focussing on what leads to incarceration in the first place.”

Senator Penny Wright has welcomed Social Justice Sunday initiatives of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the National Council of Churches, which are both aimed at highlighting the crisis in our prisons and calling for a re-think of incarceration.

“As the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement pointed out, between 1984 and 2008 (a period of 24 years) crime rates stayed steady or fell but the number of Australians in prison doubled. Why is this so?” Senator Wright asked.

“ We must tackle the causes of crime and ask why it is that is the most disadvantaged members of the community (those on low incomes, with mental illness and Indigenous Australians) are over-represented in our jails.”

“These important issues affect all of us – those in prisons and those of us who are outside but have to live with the consequences of jailing more and more people.”

“ I commend these church organizations for highlighting this worsening situation and challenging us to think more deeply about it,” said Senator Wright.

Media contact – Anna Chang 0417 173 508