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Alcotraz bills itself as “an immersive cocktail experience like no other” and is due to open in June, but has already been condemned for seeking to “profit from exploitation”.
The name and theme of the cocktail bar Speakeasy is a play on the defunct US prison Alcatraz and features bar staff dressed as inmates and actors playing “crooked” guards.
Fever and Inventive Productions, the marketing firm behind the concept, operates several Alcotraz bars in the UK, but its plans to expand Down Under have already drawn criticism from an Australian charity.
The National Network, which advocates for women and girls incarcerated and ex-prisoners, condemned the opening in Melbourne as “insensitive and offensive”.
“Alcotraz’s attempt to turn incarceration into a form of entertainment is a gross minimization of the suffering endured by people who have been criminalized,” said member Debbie Kilroy, who is also CEO of Sisters Inside.
“Creating a space where people can pay to pretend they’re a prisoner is not only degrading, it’s incredibly disrespectful.”
Fellow abolitionist Tabitha Lean said the concept was a “slap in the face” for people who had suffered real trauma and brutalisation.
“The very idea of a prison bar on land with a history of dispossession and continued oppression of Aboriginal communities is abhorrent,” she said.
“Prisons are places of enormous pain and suffering, particularly for Aboriginal people who face higher rates of incarceration and deaths in custody.”
“The partnership demonstrates its commitment to educating and enriching its customers and communities on matters related to their immersive experiences,” they said.
“Inventive Productions continues to be sensitive to the real-world difficulties that could be associated with such stories and considers how best to support those around us.”
9news.com.au has contacted Fever and Inventive Productions for comment.
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