Concern over staffing
THE Townsville Correctional Centre has been accused of understaffing its low-security prison farms, just days after an inmate serving time for killing a man while behind the wheel escaped from custody.
Sources at the prison said a staffing issue at the low-security facilities had emerged in recent weeks and accused management of not replacing officers on leave.
It comes as Bodhi James Barry Johnson spent another day on the run after he escaped from the men’s prison farm on Monday night.
He was last seen just before 9pm that night.
Johnson was serving six years behind bars for driving causing death after his car passenger died in June 2016.
He was midway through his sentence.
Police and detectives are searching for Johnson and making inquiries with friends, family and his girlfriend.
Sources within the prison said the farms had been understaffed in recent weeks.
“When some type of emergency leave comes up, they are running short-staffed out there … so they are not actually replacing officers during day shifts,” they said.
“That makes it more difficult to conduct business – your headcount, your security checks, your running of the farm.”
A source said that when the farms were short-staffed it t A PROGRAM developed in Townsville is helping indigenous students find their career paths after graduating from high school.
The second Journey 2 Jobs exhibition, organised by Ignatius Park College, was held this week to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students transition from school to vocational training and employment.
Project officer for Journey 2 Jobs Tristan Nelligave prisoners more chance of “getting up to mischief and escaping”.
“It just improves the odds for them to get up to no good,” they said.
The Queensland Corrective Services said the farm had its usual staffing profile at the time of the incident.
“The circumstances of the recent escape will be investigated by the Office of the Chief Inspector and CSIU, and it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time,” a statement read.
Johnson is the third prisoner to escape the men’s prison farm in 12 months.
The QCS defended its inmate transfer process and said “public safety is always our priority”.
“The QCS doesn’t discuss the placement or management of individual prisoners for safety and security reasons,” a statement read.
“Each prisoner is assessed on a case-by-case basis and located within a correctional man said the career exhibition featured various exhibitors who helped the students identify their passions and strengths.
“We had 13 organisations, including police indigenous recruitment, JCU, CQU, Ergon Energy, ANZ banking, Defence Force recruiting, Graduate School of Motoring, Townsville Hospital and The Ville,” he said.
Mr Nelliman said nearly 100 students attended centre based on their risk profile. Prior to being placed in a low-security facility such as a prison farm, all prisoners are subject to a detailed risk assessment where a range of factors are taken into consideration, such as sentence length, risk to the public and behaviour.”
Prisoners who escape face additional sanctions such as being charged with the offence of escape from lawful custody and being returned to a high-security facility. and it was a way to get the Year 7 to 12 students to start to “think about their post-school pathways”.
“With the employment in Townsville, especially for indigenous youth, they might not get the opportunities that other teenagers would get,” he said.
“It is about upskilling students so when they leave school they can transition out properly and have all the tools to succeed in the workforce or for higher education.”