Corrections officers deployed from Darwin to Alice Springs amid crippling staff shortages
Corrections officers have been deployed from Darwin to the Alice Springs Correctional Centre as it continues to battle crippling staff shortages.
Key points:
Key points:
There are concerns staffing issues at Alice Springs Correctional Facility are putting officers and prisoners at risk
At times the centre has been down to half its minimum staffing requirements
Corrective services says more than 60 new officers have been recruited across the NT since July
The NT United Workers Union said the 10 officers were sent to the centre amid fears it would have to stop visitations and programs for prisoners due to critical understaffing.
They arrived just days after NT Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley said workforce shortages at the Alice Springs centre were not at crisis levels.
Union secretary Erina Early said she had not before seen a deployment of so many officers in her 16 years with the organisation.
"Sometimes they'll send a couple of officers, but having a big group of officers together in one hit go down to another centre has never occurred," she said.
Erina Early says staff at the correctional centre are feeling overworked and undervalued.(ABC News: Xavier Martin)
Calls for ongoing support
Northern Territory Correctional Services said the additional officers would stay for two weeks.
"We will continue to assess options for supporting Alice Springs Correctional Centre, noting that this comes at a staffing reduction to the Darwin Correctional Centre," a spokesperson said.
Darwin prison in 'crisis' due to overcrowding, corrections officer alleges
Workers at Darwin prison have walked off the job in protest against a proposed wage freeze, as well as alleged resourcing and overcrowding issues.
The workers' union said while the boost had been a "great relief" for burnt-out staff, they were calling for continued support until the centre was properly resourced.
"Now you've got that fear factor that they'll be in the same boat as they were a couple of weeks ago," Ms Early said.
"This needs to continue until they find adequate resourcing to actually provide the appropriate number of officers in Alice Springs."
Ms Early said many staff were feeling undervalued and unsafe at work.
She said it had sparked a mass exodus of guards from the centre, with 20 having left this year.
She said another 10 were expected to quit before Christmas.
Her union is calling for more incentives to attract workers to the region, including housing, flights and promotional opportunities.
Correctional services said it had regularly acknowledged there was a staff shortage in custodial operations, particularly in Alice Springs.
It said more than 60 new officers had been recruited across the Northern Territory since July.
"We have moved quickly to address that issue, including implementation of a rolling recruitment campaign and a new ... recruitment website," a spokesperson said.
"Now you've got that fear factor that they'll be in the same boat as they were a couple of weeks ago," Ms Early said.
"This needs to continue until they find adequate resourcing to actually provide the appropriate number of officers in Alice Springs."
Ms Early said many staff were feeling undervalued and unsafe at work.
She said it had sparked a mass exodus of guards from the centre, with 20 having left this year.
She said another 10 were expected to quit before Christmas.
Her union is calling for more incentives to attract workers to the region, including housing, flights and promotional opportunities.
Correctional services said it had regularly acknowledged there was a staff shortage in custodial operations, particularly in Alice Springs.
It said more than 60 new officers had been recruited across the Northern Territory since July.
"We have moved quickly to address that issue, including implementation of a rolling recruitment campaign and a new ... recruitment website," a spokesperson said.
There have been ongoing staffing issues at Alice Springs Correctional Centre.(Supplied)
Staff shortage increases risks
The union said the Alice Springs centre hadn't been fully staffed since it opened in 1996, with a current workforce shortfall of 28 rostered officers.
At times the centre has been down to half its minimum staffing requirements.
"The smallest number of officers that we're aware of at night time has been about seven," Ms Early said.
"And you need about 13 or 14 officers on a night shift.
"During the day, about 40 officers are required. But we've seen that go down to at least 20."
A range of safety measures such as stopping visits, shutting down programs or locking down prisoners can be implemented during staff shortages.
Ms Early said such actions took a toll on inmates.
"But if we don't have enough officers, unfortunately they're some of the risk mitigations we have to put in place," Ms Early said.
The union said guards were feeling tired and overworked, which was increasing risks for officers and prisoners.
"My greatest fear is that there could be riots, correctional officers could be severely assaulted, prisoners could get assaulted as well," Ms Early said.
"We shouldn't be waiting for something to happen.
"We should be dealing with the risk now."
The union said the Alice Springs centre hadn't been fully staffed since it opened in 1996, with a current workforce shortfall of 28 rostered officers.
At times the centre has been down to half its minimum staffing requirements.
"The smallest number of officers that we're aware of at night time has been about seven," Ms Early said.
"And you need about 13 or 14 officers on a night shift.
"During the day, about 40 officers are required. But we've seen that go down to at least 20."
A range of safety measures such as stopping visits, shutting down programs or locking down prisoners can be implemented during staff shortages.
Ms Early said such actions took a toll on inmates.
"But if we don't have enough officers, unfortunately they're some of the risk mitigations we have to put in place," Ms Early said.
The union said guards were feeling tired and overworked, which was increasing risks for officers and prisoners.
"My greatest fear is that there could be riots, correctional officers could be severely assaulted, prisoners could get assaulted as well," Ms Early said.
"We shouldn't be waiting for something to happen.
"We should be dealing with the risk now."
NT Ombudsman urges government to install aircon at Alice Springs prison as temperatures top 40C
Correctional services were, however, "embarking on a multi-year reform program," he said.
"As part of the ‘Forward, Together’ reform planning ... [correctional services] will endeavour to address this issue over coming budget years."
When asked about conditions at the Alice Springs facility on Wednesday, Attorney-General and Justice Minister Chansey Paech said the government "had a plan" to improve the justice system.
But Mr Paech did not provide specific detail on government plans to deal with the heat at either the Alice Springs or Darwin jails.
"Certainly we always consider what we can do and what improvements we can make on the correctional centres across the territory, and we will continue to do that," he said.
He also said the government's mandatory sentencing reforms, which are being debated in parliament this week, would help bring down incarceration rates and prevent overcrowding in correctional centres.
WA to upgrade prison described as 'torture'
Conditions inside the Alice Springs facility were described as "inhumane" following the 2018 riot.
Then-corrections commissioner Scott McNairn said the unrest began after prisoners refused to return to their cells due to the heat.
In Western Australia, pressure from lawyers and activists led the state government to announce a $10 million to upgrade Roebourne Prison this week.
Lawyers said the 50C temperatures within the facility were "torture" and advocates warned conditions were likely to result in a death in custody.
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By Thomas Morgan
Posted Thu 24 Nov 2022
The NT Ombudsman is urging the government to install air-conditioning in the Alice Springs Correctional Facility.(CASA)
The Northern Territory's ombudsman has called for air-conditioning to be installed at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, warning summer temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celcius are expected to become more frequent due to climate change.
Key points:The WA government is installing air-conditioning in the notoriously hot Roebourne Prison
But there is no time frame for the NT to upgrade the Alice Springs prison, where temperatures can hit 42C in summer
Heatwave conditions sparked a riot at the facility in 2018
But the NT Corrections Commissioner says there are no immediate plans to install cooling systems at either the Alice Springs or Darwin Correctional Centres, due to "extreme cost implications".
Summer temperatures in Alice Springs already regularly top 40C, with an average daytime temperature of 37C in January.
In 2018, the Central Australian facility was the site of a riot believed to have been sparked by soaring temperatures, with corrections staff forced to use tear gas on inmates to bring the situation under control.
The ombudsman's report was tabled in parliament on Tuesday, a day before the West Australian government announced it would spend $10 million installing air-conditioning at Roebourne Prison in the Pilbara.
The Northern Territory's ombudsman has called for air-conditioning to be installed at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre, warning summer temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celcius are expected to become more frequent due to climate change.
Key points:The WA government is installing air-conditioning in the notoriously hot Roebourne Prison
But there is no time frame for the NT to upgrade the Alice Springs prison, where temperatures can hit 42C in summer
Heatwave conditions sparked a riot at the facility in 2018
But the NT Corrections Commissioner says there are no immediate plans to install cooling systems at either the Alice Springs or Darwin Correctional Centres, due to "extreme cost implications".
Summer temperatures in Alice Springs already regularly top 40C, with an average daytime temperature of 37C in January.
In 2018, the Central Australian facility was the site of a riot believed to have been sparked by soaring temperatures, with corrections staff forced to use tear gas on inmates to bring the situation under control.
The ombudsman's report was tabled in parliament on Tuesday, a day before the West Australian government announced it would spend $10 million installing air-conditioning at Roebourne Prison in the Pilbara.
Justice Minister Chansey Paech says the government is always striving to improve the territory's prison system.(ABC News: Hamish Harty)
The report warned inmates in Alice Springs faced "notoriously challenging conditions in the summer months, with extensive runs of days where the temperature exceeds 40 degrees, and indeed 42 degrees".
While the ombudsman acknowledged other residents of Alice Springs endured the same temperatures, often without access to air-conditioning, the report noted that prisoners are "highly restricted in their movements and steps they can take to stay cool".
"They are often confined for much of the day and night, with other prisoners, in a small cell, with limited airflow," the report continued.
The ombudsman said he had written to the recently-installed Corrections Commissioner, Matthew Varley, in March this year to warn that prisoners in stifling heat were "not so easily amenable to compliance and more prone to outbursts".
"I said the reality of climate change means that this issue will only get worse and needs to be effectively addressed."
The ombudsman said air-conditioning was "likely to be the only truly effective measure" to improve conditions and called on the government to urgently consider it.
'Extreme cost implications' for installing aircon in prisons
In a response to the ombudsman's concerns published in the report, Commissioner Varley said the department would be unable to install air-conditioning in the current financial year due to "extreme cost implications" and because there were "no budget allocations available".
The report warned inmates in Alice Springs faced "notoriously challenging conditions in the summer months, with extensive runs of days where the temperature exceeds 40 degrees, and indeed 42 degrees".
While the ombudsman acknowledged other residents of Alice Springs endured the same temperatures, often without access to air-conditioning, the report noted that prisoners are "highly restricted in their movements and steps they can take to stay cool".
"They are often confined for much of the day and night, with other prisoners, in a small cell, with limited airflow," the report continued.
The ombudsman said he had written to the recently-installed Corrections Commissioner, Matthew Varley, in March this year to warn that prisoners in stifling heat were "not so easily amenable to compliance and more prone to outbursts".
"I said the reality of climate change means that this issue will only get worse and needs to be effectively addressed."
The ombudsman said air-conditioning was "likely to be the only truly effective measure" to improve conditions and called on the government to urgently consider it.
'Extreme cost implications' for installing aircon in prisons
In a response to the ombudsman's concerns published in the report, Commissioner Varley said the department would be unable to install air-conditioning in the current financial year due to "extreme cost implications" and because there were "no budget allocations available".
Heatwave triggers prison riot
Alice Springs prisoners are tear gassed during a riot sparked by their refusal to return to their cells during plus-40C temperatures.
Correctional services were, however, "embarking on a multi-year reform program," he said.
"As part of the ‘Forward, Together’ reform planning ... [correctional services] will endeavour to address this issue over coming budget years."
When asked about conditions at the Alice Springs facility on Wednesday, Attorney-General and Justice Minister Chansey Paech said the government "had a plan" to improve the justice system.
But Mr Paech did not provide specific detail on government plans to deal with the heat at either the Alice Springs or Darwin jails.
"Certainly we always consider what we can do and what improvements we can make on the correctional centres across the territory, and we will continue to do that," he said.
He also said the government's mandatory sentencing reforms, which are being debated in parliament this week, would help bring down incarceration rates and prevent overcrowding in correctional centres.
The Alice Springs Correctional Centre Centre can experience multiple days in a row of temperatures above 40C in summer months.(ABC News: Hamish Harty)
WA to upgrade prison described as 'torture'
Conditions inside the Alice Springs facility were described as "inhumane" following the 2018 riot.
Then-corrections commissioner Scott McNairn said the unrest began after prisoners refused to return to their cells due to the heat.
In Western Australia, pressure from lawyers and activists led the state government to announce a $10 million to upgrade Roebourne Prison this week.
Lawyers said the 50C temperatures within the facility were "torture" and advocates warned conditions were likely to result in a death in custody.
Related Stories
Call for air-conditioners in cells after outback heatwave triggers prison riot
'It's getting hotter now': Calls for air con plans at WA's hottest prison to be fast-tracked
Cells in one of Australia's hottest jails to get air conditioning, after years of 'torture'
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