Recommendation 1:
Implement an Aboriginal women’s re-entry strategy.
Recommendation 2:
Increase the use of section 95 of the Prisons Act 1981 to incorporate more meaningful activities for the women in respect of: (i) work; (ii) recreation; (iii) activities between mothers and children; (iv) health services (including mental health); and (v) education.
Recommendation 3:
Provide new, more appropriate clothing to Boronia residents, and prioritise the issue of new clothing to the residents who leave the centre for section 95 activities.
Recommendation 4:
Improve the personal engagement between the relevant manager(s) and the mothers with resident children at Boronia to ensure this group is adequately supported and informed.
Recommendation 5:
Reflecting the profile of Boronia’s residents, develop a more appropriate policy on escorting them to activities outside the centre.
Recommendation 6:
Pilot an integrated and individualised case management system at Boronia Pre-release Centre which is inclusive of all residents, commences on the resident’s orientation to the centre, and engage re-entry providers at the earliest possible juncture.
Recommendation 7:
Commission and publish a methodologically robust independent evaluation of Boronia’s post-release outcomes, including a comparison with other male and female prisons.