Publications

Law Reform
Prison Newsletter
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.

Solitary Confinement

‘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.

‘Imposed Isolation plagues Queensland prisons during pandemic’ (Queensland Law Society Proctor, December 2020)

‘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’

‘Some prisoners spending 22 hours a day in solitary confinement due to Queensland Covid lockdown’ (Guardian, September 2020)

‘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’

PLS Submissions

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.

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.

Monitoring of Places of Detention (Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture) Bill 2022 (January 2023)

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.

Corrective Services (Emerging Technologies and Security) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 (January 2023)

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.

Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 (April 2024)

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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