Reviews have undertaken after the 15-hour nasty riot at a Melbourne prison which happened on Tuesday. Smoking ban and overcrowding seem to be the culprit of the uprising, which has been labeled as the worst riot recorded in Victoria's history.
It was reported in ABC News as the chaos blew up inside the Metropolitan Remand Centre in Ravenhall, Melbourne. As accounted, masked prisoners were brandishing sticks aside from lighting fires and assaulting severely the doors and windows. While police were at the scene, it was reported that there were about 300 inmates who got involved in the said uprising. In addition, there were 200 employees that were evacuated from the penitentiary, and then all the state jailbirds were lockdown.
BBC News says that the riot might be the prisoners' reaction to a smoking ban. Since it was the most horrible riot in history of Victoria, authorities and analysts were enthused to either denounce or sustain the state-wide prison smoking ban.
However, Minister Joe Francis of Western Australian Corrective Services said that he won't do the Victorian model yet. He added that the recent riot simply strengthens his decision to decline the calls from prison officers to be in favor of a full ban on smoking. Francis' state's prisons still allow inmates to smoke in selected outdoor areas. In his interview with a Perth radio station, "As a former smoker, I can tell you it's a bloody difficult habit to kick," he said.
According to Francis, many inmates who immediately and completely quit on drug or smoking addiction were mostly suffering from mental health issues, aside from dealing with being separated from their families. He also disclosed that his prison officers were "bitterly divided" concerning smoking ban. However, he cautioned them that a ban might result to a prisoners' demonstration. "My gut instinct is that banning smoking in prisons is a bridge too far for many people," he declared. He also believes that prisoners are sent to prison as a consequence to their offense, and not sent to be punished.
Yahoo News has an additional insight. In its report, it says that an overcrowded prison helps create a "pressure cooker condition." According to the Jesuit Social Services, the congestion has doubled the number of assaults, attempted suicides, and cases of self-mutilation within the past six years.
