The Catholic Prison Ministry and the Prisoner’s Legal Service have had their annual tours of Queensland prisons scrapped, with the state’s Corrective Services department finding “no demonstrated need” for the group interviews.
The advocacy groups have collectively visited the state’s prisons for about 20 years. They speak to prisoners and their action committees about issues within the prison which impact on inmates
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The Catholic Prison Ministry has also used the information gathered on the tours as part of its annual report into the state’s corrections facilities.
But with Corrective Services moving under the Attorney-General’s department purview, the tours were stopped.
Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/catholic-prison-ministrys-annual-jail-tours-scrapped-20140729-zya7o.html#ixzz398jlrHFUWhen the State sees "no demonstrated need" for the Church's oversight of its Prison system then we know something is "rotten in the State of Queensland. This is the type of Catholicism I stand with in full solidarity, built on the teachings of Jesus to "proclaim freedom for the prisoners". Yes, at its heart Christianity is about social upheaval and holy anarchy against the power of the Empire.
I hope to see some challenge to this decision from those who have influence in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane Archbishop Mark ColeridgeBrian Finnigan Mark Percival Catholic Justice & Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of BrisbaneThe Catholic Leader
Read the 2013 Queensland Prisons Report here
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