Queensland union warns of three prisoners being housed in one cell — ABC News Australia
In the Australian state of Queensland, new rules on breaches of bail conditions could lead to three prisoners being housed in cells built for one person. This was warned by Together Queensland, a union representing prison workers, ABC News Australia reports.
The Breach Bail Go To Jail bill provides for mandatory imprisonment of at least 12 months for adults and minors who commit serious crimes while on bail, are unlawfully at large, or fail to appear in court. According to the state government, under such rules, 5,248 adults and 859 children could have been automatically imprisoned last year.
Overcrowded prisons
According to Queensland Corrective Services, the adult prison system is already operating at 136% of cell capacity. Over the 10 years to June this year, the number of prisoners increased by 54%, from 7,319 to 11,275 people. Thousands of cells designed for one person have already been converted by installing second fixed beds.
The union said that a further increase in the number of prisoners could worsen sanitary conditions due to a shortage of toilets and showers, as well as complicate the provision of food. According to its data, due to staff shortages, prisoners may already be kept in cells for up to 20 hours a day. A Together Queensland survey showed that 93% of correctional facility workers do not consider their centres capable of safely accommodating more people without additional staff and resources.
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Risks for staff and youth centres
Together Queensland assistant branch secretary Michael Thomas said that an increase in the number of prisoners would inevitably mean more assaults and injuries among workers, as well as potentially deaths. He noted that riots had recently already occurred at two Queensland prisons.
Stacey Schinnerl, secretary of the Australian Workers' Union in Queensland, said the new rules could immediately trigger a staffing crisis in youth detention centres. In her view, tents would have to be erected on the grounds of such facilities to accommodate minors, while staff shortages could lead to regular movement restrictions and young people being kept in cells during the day.
The Crime and Corruption Commission warned in a submission to a parliamentary committee that prison overcrowding increases the risk of excessive use of force by staff. According to the commission's assessment, it also makes it more difficult to separate vulnerable prisoners and people convicted of less serious crimes from more dangerous offenders.
