Instead of people ending their sentence and returning to the community with support from non government organisations and mainstream services, Corrective Services has begun taking federal homelessness money and extending the prison system by stealth. They are calling them COSPs but in reality they are controlled by the prisons department, where curfews and in some cases even permission to meet family members has to be granted two weeks in advance.
This is destructive of community support development, takes away the essential element of personal responsibility and trust and reduces the money for community organisations involved in post release services. The prisons departments are already squandering their money and failing badly. Ray (Dennis) Ferguson was told a COSP would be the only place available for him! Justifying their system! We must make sure we can properly support people like Mr Ferguson in the community.
COSP Analysis paper download pdf
