A fire lit by allegedly drunk detainees in Canberra's prison caused more than $3.7 million in damage, put significant pressure on the jail's capacity and highlighted ongoing issues with the way prisoners' time is structured, an independent review has found.
The review said it was a "damning indictment" that the prisoners involved in the May 2021 incident had spent most of the day with nothing to do and it was a "concern" detainees had easy access to homebrew alcohol.
