Conditions inside the Alice Springs Correctional Centre have been described by a guard and outreach services as “inhumane” and dangerous as summer approaches.
A correctional officer at the Alice Springs prison, who wishes to remain anonymous, said overcrowding, lack of appropriate cooling and staff shortages were putting the lives of staff and prisoners at risk.
They said prisoners were crammed into dorms that were originally built for about eight people but have been retroactively refitted to house double that capacity.
“We’ve had more than 17 in there depending on housing needs,” they said.
“We had to increase numbers in dorms, but the infrastructure in the dorms hasn’t increased.
“They’ve added bunk beds, but there’s still only two toilets and two showers per dorm for 17 people.”
Prison capacity
The most recent publicly available document related to prison numbers in Alice Springs stated the prison’s design capacity was 500, with a 650-person operational capacity.
In October last year, the government said it was installing another 96 beds in the prison, which would take total capacity up to 746.
When asked by the ABC about the current capacity of the prison, a statement from the NT government put the figure much higher at 876.
The prison was designed to have a 650-person operational capacity. (ABC News: Nathan Coates)
However, the prison guard estimated the prison population was expected to reach close to 900 when the women’s centre opened.
In the summer of 2024-25, Alice Springs recorded 100 days over 40 degrees Celsius, with the hottest March day ever recorded when the mercury tipped 44.5C.
Inhumane conditions
The correctional officer said they had recorded temperatures as high as 34 degrees in the cells, which was a “contributing factor” to unrest.
“If you stand up with the beds and all their property … they can move around but not much,” they said.
They said the conditions were inhumane and were surprised that “there haven’t been more serious injuries”.
“When our staff is below a certain number, there’s operational things that we have to do, ultimately leading to blocks being locked down for the day,” they said.
However, officers try to give prisoners several hours out of cell each day when in lockdown.
“But an hour or two in 24 hours is not much,” they said.
Adds pressure
When it heats up, they said the prisoners “get a little bit agitated and it certainly adds to that pressure”.
“And then obviously the pressure of not being able to move around and being stuck inside the dorm turns into stress.
“How they vent that stress depends on the individual or what’s going on in the environment.”
The officer said that prison itself was not the punishment and was supposedly a place of rehabilitation.
“The judge punishes the prisoners by sentencing them to the time spent at the prison,” they said.
“The prison is supposed to be where you serve your time, you get rehabilitated to come back into society and then contribute positively, hopefully.
“But the sheer number of prisoners we have, the lack of staff we have, the lack of resources that we have available to us mean that you just can’t do that.”
Outreach services condemn conditions
A group of churches that take turns to hold weekly Sunday services at the prison said it had written letters about the inhumane conditions.
In March, ministers from the Uniting, Anglican, Desert Life and Baptist churches wrote to local CLP member for Braitling, Josh Burgoyne, outlining their grave concerns at the lack of cooling and ventilation at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre.
However, Mr Burgoyne said he did not receive the letter.
Spokesperson for the group, Anglican Reverend Kristan Slack, said they wrote the letter after last summer’s heatwave when the prisoners were subjected to extreme conditions.
“We know that heat kills,” he said.
Reverend Slack described the CLP’s position that the heat should be a part of the prisoners’ punishment as “inhumane”.
Reverend Emily Hayes and Reverend Kristan Slack condemn the conditions at the Alice Springs prison. (ABC News: Will Green)
“I think every human being made in God’s image deserves to be treated with kindness and dignity, no matter what they’ve done,” he said.
“I think it’s just an abrogation of responsibilities our government has to care for all people.”
Reverend Slack said that there was a dangerous situation brewing and the NT government needed to act as a matter of urgency.
“I’m concerned if it’s like the last [summer], it’s no surprise that people get upset, angry, irritable when they can’t see any change to their living conditions,” he said.
The consortium of churches met with Mr Burgoyne on Friday and said while he was receptive to their concerns that no commitments were made at the meeting to improve the situation.
Prisoners not a priority
Mr Burgoyne said upgrades across NT prisons would cost millions of dollars that would need to come from other portfolios.
Josh Burgoyne says the government’s priority is to keep the community safe. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)
“You can tell me right now which schools you’d like me to take the $20 million off, which police you’d like us to get rid of so that we can fund the $20 million for the prisoners,” he said.
While the previous Labor government was investigating cooling solutions, the CLP has ruled it out.
Mr Burgoyne said jail was a punishment.
“If you commit an offence, if you beat your wife, if you do the wrong thing, you will end up in jail,” he said.
“We will find a bed for you, and we will ensure that the community is safe. That’s our government’s number one priority.”
Mr Burgoyne said the government would “work with all the agencies to ensure that we’re getting better outcomes as we move forward”.