“Demeaning and dehumanising” strip searches in Queensland female prisons are not improving prison safety, according to a state human rights commission review on Sept. 20.
The Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) published its review finding the practice was ineffective, with an “absurdly low” contraband detection rate of just 0.01 to 0.015 percent.
Further, prisoners felt traumatised with 89 percent having a history of physical or sexual violence.
Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall said prisoners took drastic measures to avoid strip searchers.
“Women told us they don’t have visits with their family and children, avoid or delay seeking medical treatment, and choose not to attend their court matters in person,” Mr. McDougall said.
One prisoner said their family would visit weekly but told corrections staff, “We'll just make it monthly or every six weeks, just to cut down that strip search.”
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As a result, the review called for an end to strip searching with protocol around trips to the court reduced to a “pat down search only, unless there is a reasonable suspicion of an identified risk, following an individual risk assessment.”
Further, prisoners should not be routinely strip-searched when leaving or returning to prison following medical treatment to mitigate the delay in attending appointments.
The review also said Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) should ensure strip searchers were human rights compatible until body scanners and other alternative technologies could be implemented.
Mr. McDougall said body scanners and saliva swab testing was a more effective alternative.
“These advancements in technology protect prisoners’ human rights and dignity and contribute to a safer and more effective prison system,” he said.
The review said body scanners would detect concealed contraband that strip searches will likely miss, enhancing safety for prisoners and staff members.
Further, saliva swab testing is an effective first-line drug testing method and is quicker, more convenient, and less invasive than urine testing. It could significantly reduce the number of strip searches and reduce presumed positives where a person has failed to provide a sample.
Vicarious Trauma Among Staff
The review also found corrective services officers were negatively impacted, too, with many reporting physical safety concerns, and strained prisoner relationships.One corrections staff officer said strip searchers were “counterproductive, humiliating, and traumatising” and confirmed that “vicarious trauma is massive in corrections.”
The officer said “dehumanising” prisoners did not create “better versions of humanity” after prisoners left the system.
As a result, the review said staff members must not conduct targeted searches for anything other than detecting and seizing a prohibited item, QCS should also provide trauma training, and also carry out psychosocial evaluations.
“The methodology for this evaluation should include anonymous surveys and feedback from staff members to assess the extent of harm and psychological impacts of the job, explicitly addressing vicarious trauma and burnout,” the review said.
Women’s human rights advocates welcomed the review; however, they said the recommendations were not timely, and campaigning and lobbying to end strip-searching policies have been ongoing for many years.
End to Strip Searching: A 3-Decade-Long Mission
Sisters Inside CEO Debbie Kilroy said although body scanners were a viable alternative, “QPS has had the implementation of body scanners on their agenda for over 30 years.”Ms. Kilroy said, “If QCS wanted to introduce body scanners and end the violent practice against women, they could purchase them immediately.”
She said strip searching should “be abolished today, as the QHRC recommendations do not go far enough in ending the violence against women.”
“The state government’s agenda and policy to stop violence against women must extend to and include all women, not just women in prisons.”
The recommendations come as Queensland has more women in prison than other states and territories, and the imprisonment rate is growing twice as fast for women as men.
“In particular, the incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is increasing at concerning rates,” the review said. Around 40 percent of women in Queensland prisons are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.
Most female prisoners are either on remand or have been sentenced to imprisonment for a few months for a non-violent offence. The most common crimes leading to a prison sentence were stealing, breach of bail, and drug possession.
