Aboriginal woman suing ACT government over illegal jail strip search
A First Nations former detainee is suing the ACT government after her human rights were breached when she was illegally strip-searched while being held in remand at Canberra's jail.
Julianne Williams, an Aboriginal woman, is suing the ACT government for damages after being illegally strip-searched at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) in 2021. Williams became distressed when her request to attend her grandmother's funeral was denied, leading to her placement in the Crisis Support Unit. During her detention, she was subjected to a strip search in both her room and a bathroom, both of which breached her human rights under the Human Rights Act.
Despite the ACT Supreme Court's previous finding of her rights being violated, Williams has now filed a new statement of claim in the Federal Court seeking compensatory damages. Her lawyer, Sam Tierney, claims that an earlier attempt to seek an ex-gratia payment from the ACT treasurer has stalled. The ACT government has indicated it intends to further litigate the matter.
The incident has sparked a broader campaign to end strip searches in prisons across Australia, with around 15,000 conducted monthly during 2021-22. However, their implementation remains inconsistent due to varying policies and procedures across states and territories. ACT Corrective Services has since removed mandatory strip searches from its procedures and introduced body scanners, but strip searches may still be required in limited circumstances. Williams' case will be heard in court again this month.
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