The government has selected UK company Serco to run its first private prison. The immediate reaction is that it could have been worse - it could have been G4S. But Serco is pretty bad. The dirt:
- Serco runs several prisons in the UK. In 2006, a report by the chief inspector of prisons found utterly squalid conditions at the Serco-run Doncaster prison, with prison managers refusing to provide mattresses, pillows, or even toilet seats because they were not specified in the contract. A subsequent inspection in 2008 found prisoners forced to sleep in toilets as Serco packed them in to get more money.
- Serco is brutal. Their children's detention facility at Hassockfield in the northern UK has an appalling record of children injured at the hands of guards. In 2004 a child at the centre killed himself after being subjected to a "nose distraction technique" (AKA "being punched in the face") by Serco goons. Its guards at refugee detention centres in the UK have been involved in assaults and beatings [PDF, grep]. Its refugee centres in Australia are the site of frequent deaths in custody and violent suppression of ongoing protests by inmates.
- Serco is linked to corruption. Just last month its German operation was forced to apologise after demanding kickbacks from its suppliers.
So, a question: is this violent, brutal corrupt company really who we want running our prisons? And doesn't it speak volumes about Judith Collins that she thinks they're suitable for the job?
