A facility allowing some inmates to live with their babies in Tasmania's women's prison has barely been used since it opened four years ago, the state's Custodial Inspector has revealed in his latest report.
The mother-baby unit at Mary Hutchinson women's prison at Risdon was occupied for 144 days between October 21, 2018, and December 1, 2021, but was only used by mothers and their babies for a total of eight days.
In his report, Custodial Inspector Richard Connock said that was "unacceptable".
"It is of grave concern that this unit, the presence of which acknowledges the importance of the relationship between incarcerated mothers and their babies, has not been utilised for the purpose for which it was constructed," Mr Connock wrote.
The Custodial Inspector said the Tasmanian Prison Service (TPS) stood out in "stark contrast" to other women's prisons in Australia.
"TPS guidelines appear overly restrictive when compared to the unit in Queensland, for example, where children are able to reside with a mother in prison up until the time of starting school, as opposed to the two-year age limit imposed in Tasmania," the report said.
Over the past decade, there have been 60 requests from mothers or primary carers to have their child live with them in the Hobart women's prison.
Twenty-two of those were approved, with only four accepted for the new mother-baby unit, however, two women did not end up living there due to early release.
TPS urged to examine how to 'improve support'
The Tasmanian government named the new mother-baby unit after the late attorney-general Vanessa Goodwin, a criminologist who was passionate about prisoner rehabilitation.
When the unit opened in 2018, Tasmania's director of prisons Ian Thomas said: "Every mother and baby should have the opportunity at least of being able to use this facility in a comfortable environment so mother and baby can attach properly at that critical period of life."
Prior to the facility being built, the prison's Roland multi-purpose unit housed some mothers and babies.
The newer Vanessa Goodwin mother-baby unit can accommodate five prisoners with infants and or children in single-room accommodation and includes a creche and outdoor play area.
When inspecting the facility, Mr Connock said his team found it difficult to audit records and was unable to identify a register of the mother-baby units' use, with much of the inspection based largely on anecdotal evidence and the recollections of custodial staff.
It was only after the inspection that the TPS provided details of requests made by female prisoners.
Mr Connock has recommended the TPS examine "how it can proactively improve support to female prisoners that wish to have their children stay with them in prison".
Women's Legal Service Tasmania chief executive officer Yvette Cehtel said the situation was a "disgrace" and there needed to be an urgent review of the unit.
"This has a significant impact on the life chances of children but also impacts directly on the rehabilitation of the mother," Ms Cehtel said.
"As we see the population of women increase in the prison, the need for this facility is stronger and larger than it's ever been."
Ms Cehtel said there didn't appear to be an open and transparent process around the mother-baby unit's operation.
"There's a real scarcity of policy and procedure around the use of the unit. Mothers, or those who are pregnant, going into the prison services also need to be made aware of the unit, what the application process is, what the eligibility requirements are and what they can do if they are knocked back," Ms Cehtel said.
Corrections and Rehabilitation Minister Elise Archer said she "fully" understood the importance of the unit, which is why the government had committed $2.6 million for the new facilities in 2018.
"A review of the mother-baby unit is already underway as an existing initiative of the Tasmania Prison Service, which I fully support," she said.
"The government will consider the outcomes of this work once it is completed, but moving forward I am absolutely committed to ensuring this important facility is fully utilised to its best potential."
Queensland-based criminologist Susan Dennison has spent nearly 20 years examining the impacts of incarceration on parents and families.
"There is a lot of research to support the idea that mothers have better outcomes when they're released from prison if they've had their child with them in prison, particularly for women who give birth in prison," Professor Dennison said.
"It really benefits them in terms of their ability to rehabilitate and stay out of prison."
Professor Dennison said although there hadn't been much long-term research done on the impacts on children, "there were a lot of arguments for the benefits that would likely occur".
"It's about recognising the importance of attachment for both the mothers' development as a parent and also for the child's ability to have a secure attachment," Professor Dennison said.
It also meant those children were less likely to end up in the child protection system, she added.
"We know that there are risks for children who end up in out-of-home care in terms of their wellbeing over time."
Pandemic a 'significant factor' in occupancy rates
Responding to the Custodial Inspector's report, the TPS said the COVID-19 pandemic had been a significant factor in the mother-baby unit occupancy rates, with tighter controls needing to be in place.
The TPS also said in most cases, refusals for women to participate in the program were due to welfare concerns around the children, which were voiced by third parties.
But the TPS said it was reviewing the mother and child program, including gathering information from other states to determine if and how the current program can be expanded.
"The inclusion of children above the age of two years will also be considered as part of this review, noting that infrastructure and resources will most likely require some upgrading to ensure a suitable living and learning environment for older children," the TPS said.
