Inmate bites prison guard
Unit complex goes up in flames
A BITING incident at a Far Northern prison has brought into focus serious concerns about understaffing, overcrowding and an inmate population on the verge of “rioting”.
A prison officer working at the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre will undergo testing for bloodborne diseases after being bitten on the hand at breakfast time on Sunday.
Together Union representative John Stack said the inmate was a known troublemaker.
“At least two staff were bitten by this chap,” Mr Stack said. “He was isolated due to his elevated behaviour and was upset with breakfast this morning.”
The union official said problems at the jail with overcrowding and staff shortages had led to suspensions of inmate programs, which consequently caused greater levels of anger and resentment among the population.
“We are in a spot of bother. You could see a crisis happening during these types of periods and you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
“We have been behind the eight ball, and when you don’t have prisoners out exercising, playing sports and being involved in programs, it leads to other problems.”
According to one inmate’s father, “torturous” lockdowns were a “ticking time bomb” waiting to go off.
Robert Wells said his son reported being locked down for 24 hours a day every second day and being unable to participate in work programs.
“It’s all well and good to put people in jail, but not to torture them – they are going off their nut,” he said.
Mr Wells said his son was released from his cell between 7am and noon once every 48 hours following corrective service officers leaving the job.
The Cooktown truck driver said he expected inmate tension to come to a head.
“I can see riots brewing. You can’t treat people like that without something happening. It’s like a time bomb waiting to go off,” he said.
Mr Wells said keeping prisoners in their cells was a way of managing the population with fewer guards.
“You need the manpower to do the job properly. There is not enough people there for the safety of the screws,” he said.
The Together Union had lobbied the Queensland Department of Corrections for more staff and there had been a recruitment drive, but boots on the ground had not arrived.
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THE occupants of an Atherton unit complex that went up in flames on Sunday have been offered crisis accommodation as fire investigators work to determine what caused the blaze.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services were called to a fire at a two-storey timber building on the corner of Gibson and May streets just after 9am.
Acting inspector Brad Fleming said out of the nine units in the building, only one had been occupied at the time.
“The fire was involved through the top section from one end to the other, with smoke and flames visible,” he said.
“We had a total of five appliances and 22 crew attend, and had the fire under control by 11.03am.”
Tablelands Regional Council division five representative
Peter Hodge was on the scene during the emergency.
“It is tragic to see (residents) displaced and to lose everything,” he said.
“A chaplain from the Salvation Army was there organising crisis accommodation, and the support agencies in Atherton are very good and they were there, and will be again in the morning, to make sure the family has the essentials and support they need going forward.”