media release DEATHS IN CUSTODY WATCH COMMITTEE (WA) Inc. 207 BEAUFORT ST PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6000 PO Box 8196 Perth WA 6849 Tel: 61(0)8 9227-5751 Mobile: 041993-0375 Fax: 61(0)8 9227-5593 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: http://www.deathsincustody.com/ 7th June 2000 WA PRISONS: SIXTH DEATH IN 4 WEEKS Another Aboriginal prisoner from WA's infamous Casuarina Prison died in Royal Perth Hospital at 5 am today. "This the sixth prison death in 4 weeks" said Murray Jones, Chairperson of the Watch Committee, "and the eighth prison death this year." "Of the six deaths to occur over the last month, four of the prisoners were Aboriginal and three of those deaths were due to illness." "I understand that Ministry of Justice is conducting a "Health" conference this weekend, but none of the key stakeholders from the community have been invited." "Curtin University of Technology - The Centre for Aboriginal Studies - has been addressing this very issue for over seven years. Since the early 1990s, - they have been graduating Indigenous people as Bachelors of Applied Science (Indigenous Community Health). Further, Mar Moodich at Clontarf College has been graduating Indigenous health workers at the TAFE level for more than a decade. The ex Director of that College, Dr Joan Winch, is now the Head of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University.'" - Mr Jones said. "But to my knowledge, the Ministry of Justice does not employ a single Aboriginal graduate health worker within its prisons. Specialists in a specialised area, schooled and educated into this special area of study" "Given that nearly forty percent (40%) of inmates in Western Australia's prisons, are Aboriginal, is it therefore unreasonable to suggest that that each prison should be adequately staffed with professional graduate Indigenous Health Workers?' said Mr Jones. "We call upon the Ministry to immediately staff the medical facilities in our prison system with appropriately qualified health professionals for appropriate inmates." "Whilst it is accepted that some inmates will die of natural causes, we will vigorously pursue an independent inquiry into whether or not those inmates received adequate and appropriate health care prior to death." Media Contact: Murray Jones Chairperson 08 9265-6934 0407 191469 Kath Mallott Executive Officer 08 9227-5751 041 9930375 Deaths In Custody Watch Committee (WA) Inc) 119 Mathieson Road, REDCLIFFE, Western Australia, 6104 "The beginning of the cause of deaths in custody does not occur within the confines of police and prison cells or in the minds of the victims. Initially it starts in the minds of those who allow it to happen." Elder Dr. Jack Davis (OA, MBE) *[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.deathsincustody.com/* -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
