Rebecca Minty: Driving change on body searches

Our guest on this episode of Perspectives is Rebecca Minty, Deputy Inspector with the Office of the Australian Capital Territory Inspector of Correctional Services. In 2021, her office completed an inquiry into the case of an Aboriginal woman detainee who was forcibly strip searched. The report found that the woman’s human rights were breached and made a series of recommendations for change.

This episode is the first in a series looking at how oversight bodies around the world are promoting safety and fairness for women in contact with the criminal justice system. It’s part of the APT’s global campaign on #WomenAndPrison.

Our goal is to support national oversight bodies in their efforts to promote implementation of the UN Bangkok Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders. An important provision in the Bangkok Rules relates to body searches and strip searches.