ray jackson, president, indigenous social justice association
i am reliably informed that an aboriginal inmate, name not known, was found deceased in his cell this morning. his age was given as 36 years old.
the gaol governor at ivanhoe has stated the inmate died by natural causes. such terminology generally hides a multiplicity of concerns.
his cell-mate is said to have stated that his mate complained of becoming all sweaty and cold and had pains in his right arm. whether assistance had been sought during the evening is not known.
when the governor was contacted for information he did not give any at all and was more concerned to find out how the caller had learnt of the dic. a similar call to the department elicited the same response. commissioner woodham's 'cone of silence' in action.
the department of corrective services ( false advertising - there is nothing 'corrective' about it), under woodham's rules, are now saying that it is not in the public interest for information on deaths in custody, or any other gaol issue, to be released to the public.
this information manipulation by the 'cone of silence' is absolutely ludicrous and mutates the system to serve the system only. the tax-payers of nsw pay for the gaols and the wages of those who work for and in them. we are entitled to know what is happening in those gaols in our name.
the public must retain the right to know otherwise we no longer live in a democracy. well, we don't as a matter of fact, we live under an elective oligarchy.
the coroner was also contacted but stated they had not been informed of any dic as yet.they must wait for the p76 'notification of a death to the coroner' before the matter joins the queue awaiting a coroner's inquest.
i will update when more information comes to light.
Comments
Re: Death in custody at Ivanhoe gaol on 3 June
Here we go again Ray, Ron Woodham is presented by bought and paid for media as in control of prision. Because government want to keep the out side from knowing what goes on inside. Grafton tracks and H division Pentridge were places of abuse and torture for decades with riots finally attracting enough attention from outside to shut them down. We have now witnessed three inquiries into the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee while in the custody of former Palm Island policeman Chris Hurley on Thursday island. I dont believe the peoples are any closer to the truth in that matter. And now we have another death in custody a information black out another fight for proper open inquiries. Is Justice Action involved yet?
Re: Death in custody at Ivanhoe gaol on 3 June
Thanks for this post Ray. It is very worrying. It suggests the man had a heart attack, but with timely medical help he could be alive today. I look forward to such as ABC Stateline, 7.30, The Australian or Sydney Morning Herald taking an interest in this story in the western region of NSW.
Rupert Murdoch was a crusader in the Adelaide Advertiser in the 60ies - if memory serves over the wrongful conviction of a Blackfella because of the principle involved. One assumes this is a different set of facts but the common thread here is that it's a sign of a civilised society how we run our (!) (not their) gaols. Not how Ron Woodham allegedly keeps news from the public notice.