Staffing shortages and overcrowding are creating "unacceptable" conditions at Darwin's only prison, with some prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor, spending "up to 72 hours at a time in lockdown" and more time on remand, legal advocates claim.
The ABC reported nearly two months ago that a spike in prisoner numbers had led to some inmates sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
"People are actually spending a much greater time on remand than they used to because understaffing means that prisoners can't come to court, can't see their lawyer and matters don't resolve," Beth Wild from the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency said.
"What we're seeing is the result of the "tough on crime" [approach from government], the bail laws being as strict as they are."
The NT Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley confirmed 76 prisoners remain on floor mattresses.
"Mattresses on the floor are completely unacceptable to me," he told ABC radio Darwin.
"Certainly what I want to do is remove those mattresses and turn them into permanent bunks."
'Conditions are tough and I acknowledge that'
The Northern Territory's prison population has spiked by about 300 since mid-2020, with the Darwin Correctional Centre now holding about 1200 inmates.
Commissioner Varley confirmed many new prisoners were on remand and waiting on the outcome of their court cases.
"Staff have been telling me they're under pressure, feel overworked, and conditions are tough and I acknowledge that," he said.
"We know that during the COVID-era we had to put in a few extra bunks and mattresses in some of our dormitory-style wings to make sure we could isolate prisoners and manage COVID within our centre."
While the prison population did spike during the peak of the pandemic, Ms Wild claims the current issues can't be blamed solely on that influx.
"Very few of the problems we're seeing in the prison now are a result of COVID", she claimed.
"It's not that there's a backlog, it's just that there's an increased amount of people on remand."
NT Corrections has previously told the ABC that its budget had "increased over the last few years in response to rising prisoner numbers and the increasing cost of services".
"The NT Correctional Services Commissioner is working with the Government on developing a reform agenda for Corrections," it has said.
Some lockdowns lasting 'up to 72 hours', lawyers claim
Chrissy McConnell from the NT Criminal Lawyers Association claimed some inmates had been in lockdown for extended periods.
"I'm hearing terrible stories from prisoners who are in lockdown for up to 72 hours," she said.
Ms McConnell said a lockdown meant inmates were either locked inside their block, or in the case of prisoners in protective custody, in their individual cells.
"Some of those cells don't have working fans, some of them don't have TVs," she said.
The ABC has asked NT Corrections for comment on whether some inmates had spent up to 72 hours in lockdown.
Ms McConnell claimed the current conditions were degrading for prisoners.
"I certainly don't think it's an acceptable form of accommodation for prisoners to be sleeping on mattresses on the floor, I can't see that that's safe either," she said.
"Yes they're prisoners, yes they're in there because they've either done the wrong thing or they're either accused or alleged to have done the wrong thing, but that doesn't mean they're entitled to any less dignity or respect than anyone else."
Understaffing leads to $13.5million overtime bill
An estimates hearing in NT Parliament last month heard that understaffing resulted in the NT Government spending $13.5 million on paying overtime to corrections staff in the 11 months to May this year.
Prison officer at the Darwin Correctional Centre Phil Tilbrook, who spoke to the ABC in his capacity as a union delegate, described the current state of NT corrections as "a dysfunctional service".
"We're severely short-staffed and we're still required to do the same amount of work every day even though we are severely understaffed," he said.
"We are overcrowded ... we've seen an increase in prisoner on prisoner assaults, an increase of prisoner on staff assaults."
Commissioner Varley disagreed with Mr Tilbrook's description of the current state of corrections.
"I don't agree with Phil that corrections is dysfunctional because I think what that does is it diminishes the hard work, the excellent work that our officers — both in the prisons and in community corrections — do every day," he said.
Corrections NT has previously told the ABC that recruitment and retention of staff based in regional areas had "always been a challenge in the territory".
