NATION Prison system ‘ needs a clean- up’

THE NSW prison system needs to be “cleaned out” of guards who become romantically involved with inmates, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister has said.

Peter Dutton made the comments following reports of prison officers and criminals having relationships in jail – including one female guard who was suspended after allegedly becoming involved with a convicted police killer.

Mr Dutton said guards who become involved with inmates “did not have a place” in the prison system.

“These people need to be cleaned out of the system because they don’t have a place,” he told Sydney’s 2GB radio yesterday.

“They’re supposed to be in a position of trust, but they don’t have a place in a system where they’re supposed to be enforcing the law; instead, they’re acting outside of it.”

Inmates were in jail to pay for their crimes and the public expected that the rule of law would be upheld, he said.

“The victims of these crimes would be completely horrified to hear that they’re leading this sort of life.”

NSW Corrections Minister David Elliott on Wednesday instructed the state’s jails commissioner, Peter Severin, to establish a task force to investigate the issue.

The investigation will be led by an independent person and examine alleged misconduct dating back 10 years, Mr Elliott said in a statement. In re- sponse, Mr Severin said he would like to make it a jailable offence for guards to sleep with inmates.

He is also open to the idea of medically reducing prisoner sex drives if available.

“I want to do anything that will stop inappropriate behaviour from happening,” he told News Corp Australia.

“If there are medically based options, would I say no? No I wouldn’t, no I wouldn’t because I want to stop this behaviour from happening.”

NSW Labor’s corrections spokesman Guy Zangari said the minister had “lost control of his portfolio” and called for him to step down.