Cabs Used To Ferry Prisoners

The Age

Friday April 6, 2007

By Andrea Petrie

VICTORIAN prisoners are being driven to their medical appointments by taxi.

Corrections Victoria yesterday confirmed that cabs were being used to transport inmates when more secure transportation was unavailable.

A spokeswoman said that while it was not standard practice, it was happening.

"Taxis are only used as a last-resort option to transport prisoners for medical appointments and essential trips," she said.

"Prisoners are always escorted by prison officers during these journeys."

The spokeswoman said no records were kept on how often cabs were used for such purposes or the cost. She stressed that high-security prisoners were never transported in taxis.

But Opposition corrections spokesman Andrew McIntosh described the practice as disgraceful.

"If people are in prison they're in custody and there are secure vehicles for this sort of transport, and to say taxis are being used even if it's as a last resort is not good enough," Mr McIntosh said.

The fact that those being escorted in taxis were not maximum security inmates did not mean they were not dangerous. "There are prisoners who have gone through high security and are now in low or medium security who have been found guilty of some pretty serious offences like murder or rape," he said.

"It might be a case that they're nearing the end of their sentence and that's why they're in medium or low-security prisons, but that certainly shouldn't mean they should get softer treatment."

He said Victorian taxpayers had a right to know how much the taxis were costing considering they were footing the bill.

A spokesman for Corrections Minister Bob Cameron last night accused Mr McIntosh of being hypocritical.

"Taxis were also used when the Liberal party was in Government," he said.