CELL BLOCK HELL

Guards scared for their safety

PRISON guards fear overcrowding in a cell block that houses some of Stuart Prison’s most dangerous criminals could cause “pandemonium”.

Speaking exclusively to the Bulletin, guards say they fear for their safety as an extra 25 extra beds will be put into the secure unit.

“Someone is going to get hurt,” one guard said.

MURDERERS, rapists and other dangerous offenders will share cells in a move that has Townsville Correctional Centre guards worried about safety.

Guards have contacted the Bulletin as the prison begins to build reinforced bunk beds to slot into cells in the secure unit of the correctional centre.

The 50- cell block was built to house one inmate per cell, but sources said 25 extra beds would be put in the secure unit.

One source said there were “genuine concerns” for guards securing the block, fearing the already crowded prison would become a powder keg.

“You’ve got 50 single cells, and they’re bloody small, and they’re putting another 25 in each unit,” the source said. “They’re making the bunks and fitting them in … it’s going to be pandemonium.”

The source said there was no concern for safety.

“All the real bad blokes are in there … it’s so overwhelming, full everywhere, they’ve resorted to this,” the source said. “It’s just a numbers game.

“If you’ve only got room for 50 men then put 75 in it, those conditions are going to cause problems for not only us, but other prisoners.

“We’re worried about it … someone is going to get hurt.

“It doesn’t matter how many extra staff you put in there, if it’s like that, you’ve got nowhere to go.”

As of yesterday there were 701 male prisoners at the Stuart prison and 208 females at the women’s centre.

The Together Union, which represents prison guards, says prisoners were already sleeping on the floor in some cells.

Townsville organiser Norm Jacobsen said the union had been calling on the State Government to build a new prison to improve safety.

“There’s no denying a new correctional centre needs to be built to ease overcrowding,” he said. “Tensions inside the facility have been at the highest level I’ve seen.”

Mr Jacobsen said having prisoners sleeping on floors was untenable and bunks may be the lesser of two evils.

“It is safer to have the prisoners in bunks than on the floors; they’ve got to sleep somewhere,” he said.

A Queensland Corrective Services spokesman confirmed there were plans for 100 bunks across the men’s and women’s secure centres from next month.

“As QCS repeatedly reiterates, the safety and security of staff and prisoners is always its priority and if prisoner numbers increase, so do staff numbers,” a spokesman said.

“Townsville CC management has been consulting regularly with staff.”