Publications
PLS undertakes law reform projects and provides submissions on issues that impact people who are vulnerable in prison. We maintain a strategic focus on the use of solitary confinement due to our concerns about the harm this practice causes to individuals and society as a whole.
PLS Submissions
Electoral Laws (Restoring Electoral Fairness) Amendment Bill 2025 (January 2026)
PLS makes submission opposing the extension of prisoner voting restrictions on the basis this will not deter future crime or support rehabilitation and will disproportionately impact First Nations people. PLS’ submission also identifies that despite a stated emphasis on serious offences, the proposed prohibition will capture less serious offences and raises concerns about whether the proposed voting restriction can be justified when considering current imprisonment trends and release practices in Queensland. Human rights-based arguments are also advanced to illustrate how the extension of voting restrictions is not proportionate or reasonably appropriate and adapted to a legitimate end.
PLS makes submission raising concerns about the proposed introduction of a Public Sex Offender Register in Queensland on the basis it will not protect children from sexual abuse and may increase the risks of reoffending by people convicted of sexual offences. PLS’ submission identifies deficiencies within the Bill compared to other jurisdictions and recommends amendments to address these shortcomings and better promote community safety.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (April 2024)
PLS raises concerns about extending time frames for reviews of high security classifications, promotes the need for protections around the use of body scanning technology in prison and highlights concerns around the implementation of restrictions in prison during emergencies.
Corrective Services (Promoting Safety) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (February 2024)
PLS makes submissions regarding changes in respect of sensitive information relied on by decision-makers under the Act and victim participation in parole decision making.
PLS raises concerns about extending time frames for reviews of high security classifications, promotes the need for protections around the use of body scanning technology in prison and highlights concerns around the implementation of restrictions in prison during emergencies.
PLS proposes expanding the places of detention which can be visited by UN, introducing stronger privacy protections and supports for people in detention during UN visits and removing s132 of the CSA which prohibits interviews and statements being taken from prisoners without consent from Corrective Services.
Public Health and Other Legislation (Covid-19 Management) Amendment Bill 2022 (September 2022)
PLS makes submissions opposing the proposed extension of emergency powers which provide Corrective Services with broad powers to restrict access to prisons and limit in prison activities through lockdowns when less restrictive measures are available to manage COVID-19.
Inspector of Detention Services Bill (November 2021)
PLS makes submissions about how the proposed Inspector of Detention Services should be established to comply with Australia’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (October 2021)
PLS makes submissions about how proposed parole amendments do not provide the reforms needed in the prison system and instead will come at the expense of people who are vulnerable in prison.
Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce (July 2021)
PLS calls for solutions to ending domestic and family violence that are based on increasing safety and reducing violence, rather than simply mandating punitive responses. Grassroots responses are the most effective.
Corrective Services and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (April 2020)
PLS expresses opposition to reforms that propose blanket restrictions on particular categories of prisoners accessing low security facilities, which undermines community safety and human rights.
PLS undertakes law reform projects and provides submissions on issues that impact people who are vulnerable in prison. We maintain a strategic focus on the use of solitary confinement due to our concerns about the harm this practice causes to individuals and society as a whole.
Solitary Confinement
‘Solitary confinement sentencing manual
This resource provides a practical guide for lawyers in Queensland to prepare and present evidence of solitary confinement as a mitigating factor in sentencing.
‘Prisoner Isolation and COVID-19 in Queensland’, Griffith Journal of Law and Human Dignity
This journal article discusses the legal implications of the Queensland Human Rights Act for COVID-related responses in correctional settings, and particularly the use of medical isolation.
Legal Perspectives on Solitary Confinement in Queensland Report
This research report is the result of a two year collaboration between PLS and The University of Queensland. It contains a combination of academic and empirical research about solitary confinement and human rights.
Local and International Expert Panel Discussion on Solitary Confinement
A panel of experts met online to answer questions about the joint PLS and UQ report on solitary confinement in Queensland. Their discussion provides leading perspectives on solitary confinement and suitable alternatives.
‘Unlike people quarantined in the community, isolated prisoners did not have access to fresh air, exercise, internet or mobile phones and some experienced poor living conditions’
‘Prisoners in Queensland have been denied access to lawyers, medical care and contact with family members under the state’s emergency lockdown of its correctional centres’
‘Advocates demand an end to solitary confinement for at-risk prisoners’ (ABC, August 2020)
‘A team of researchers led by University of Queensland law professor Tamara Walsh and the Prisoners Legal Service have called for the elimination of prolonged confinement’
Please click on the images below to view our past annual reports.
PLS undertakes law reform projects and provides submissions on issues that impact people who are vulnerable in prison. We maintain a strategic focus on the use of solitary confinement due to our concerns about the harm this practice causes to individuals and society as a whole.
PLS Submissions
Electoral Laws (Restoring Electoral Fairness) Amendment Bill 2025 (January 2026)
PLS makes submission opposing the extension of prisoner voting restrictions on the basis this will not deter future crime or support rehabilitation and will disproportionately impact First Nations people. PLS’ submission also identifies that despite a stated emphasis on serious offences, the proposed prohibition will capture less serious offences and raises concerns about whether the proposed voting restriction can be justified when considering current imprisonment trends and release practices in Queensland. Human rights-based arguments are also advanced to illustrate how the extension of voting restrictions is not proportionate or reasonably appropriate and adapted to a legitimate end.
PLS makes submission raising concerns about the proposed introduction of a Public Sex Offender Register in Queensland on the basis it will not protect children from sexual abuse and may increase the risks of reoffending by people convicted of sexual offences. PLS’ submission identifies deficiencies within the Bill compared to other jurisdictions and recommends amendments to address these shortcomings and better promote community safety.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (April 2024)
PLS raises concerns about extending time frames for reviews of high security classifications, promotes the need for protections around the use of body scanning technology in prison and highlights concerns around the implementation of restrictions in prison during emergencies.
Corrective Services (Promoting Safety) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (February 2024)
PLS makes submissions regarding changes in respect of sensitive information relied on by decision-makers under the Act and victim participation in parole decision making.
PLS raises concerns about extending time frames for reviews of high security classifications, promotes the need for protections around the use of body scanning technology in prison and highlights concerns around the implementation of restrictions in prison during emergencies.
PLS proposes expanding the places of detention which can be visited by UN, introducing stronger privacy protections and supports for people in detention during UN visits and removing s132 of the CSA which prohibits interviews and statements being taken from prisoners without consent from Corrective Services.
Public Health and Other Legislation (Covid-19 Management) Amendment Bill 2022 (September 2022)
PLS makes submissions opposing the proposed extension of emergency powers which provide Corrective Services with broad powers to restrict access to prisons and limit in prison activities through lockdowns when less restrictive measures are available to manage COVID-19.
Inspector of Detention Services Bill (November 2021)
PLS makes submissions about how the proposed Inspector of Detention Services should be established to comply with Australia’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (October 2021)
PLS makes submissions about how proposed parole amendments do not provide the reforms needed in the prison system and instead will come at the expense of people who are vulnerable in prison.
Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce (July 2021)
PLS calls for solutions to ending domestic and family violence that are based on increasing safety and reducing violence, rather than simply mandating punitive responses. Grassroots responses are the most effective.
Corrective Services and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (April 2020)
PLS expresses opposition to reforms that propose blanket restrictions on particular categories of prisoners accessing low security facilities, which undermines community safety and human rights.
Please click on the images below to view our past annual reports.
PLS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded in Australia.
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