A jail-free national capital?
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Are too many of those that fall through the cracks of our society landing in our prison system? Brett Collins from “Keep A.C.T Jail Free” certainly thinks so. This new organisation has been formed to combat the Stanhope government’s proposal to build a jail in the nation’s capital territory. The 130 million dollars set aside for the jail has caused controversy, with calls for it to be spent on crime prevention and community services instead. Mr Collins argues that a new jail will simply lead to more ACT residents being imprisoned and will actually increase the crime rate. The Wire spoke with Brett Collins from “Keep A.C.T Jail Free” and asked why we in fact have prisons if they don’t reduce crime.