Clarence Correctional Centre: allegations of staff shortages, sexual harassment at Serco prison

Claims officers are forced to oversee 40 inmates on their own, inmates being withheld vital medication and ongoing allegations of sexual harassment are running rampant through a NSW prison.

Allegations of sexual harassment, officers being assaulted, and “dangerous levels” of understaffing have rocked a privately-run correctional facility in the state’s north.

Whistleblowers inside Clarence Correctional Centre, run by private company Serco, alongside senior Corrective Services NSW staff have lifted the lid on issues surrounding the safety and wellbeing of officers, staff, and inmates in the North Coast prison.

In June, officers at Australia’s second largest correctional facility sounded the alarm over claims officers were left “trapped in yards” after the door operating system crashed inside the facility. While in November, there were claims that staffing levels were so low that officers were running units with 40 plus inmates on their own.

These allegations against management came as officers claimed inmates weren’t receiving vital medications on time, staff were unable to take annual leave due to the number of officers resigning, as well as serious allegations of sexual harassment.

Meanwhile, in December, there were reports that Clarence Correctional Centre had the highest staff assault rate in the state.

A senior CSNSW source told NewsCorp it was “not unusual” for officers to be left on their own to oversee up to 40 inmates in the privately run facility.

“These kinds of allegations would need to be raised with CSNSW monitors overseeing Clarence,” he said. “They are more focused on budget and keeping money in their pocket than ensuring adequate number of boots on the ground.

“CSNSW has been aware of these concerns throughout the entire time Clarence has been in operation.”

A former Clarence Correctional Centre inmate, who spent several months behind bars at the private prison following time at Parklea said he saw first hand the hardships faced by inmates and correctional officers alike.

“Serco is not meeting their KPI’s, it has to be one of the worst run facilities in the country,” he said.

“Sometimes there is only three officers in an unit that holds hundreds of inmates. 

“Officers told me that because they are so short staffed they have to turn a blind eye when something goes wrong between inmates.”

Aerial view of the Clarence Correctional Centre. Photo: Simon Hughes.

The inmate, speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed allegations officer were trapped in wings due to faulty door systems “on a regular basis”.

“Serco is supposed to be setting standards of a new, privately-run facility, but their methods are atrocious.

“They are punishing inmates by not giving their medications out. 

“If people knew what was going on, there would be hell to pay — I thought my time at Parklea was bad, but it has absolutely nothing on the hell people face inside Clarence.”

Former Grafton jail boss John Heffernan is concerned about the lack of transparency within the facility following a death in custody this week.

“The biggest problem with Clarence Correctional Centre is it’s totally non-transparent and they are such a big conglomerate they get away with it,” Mr Heffernan said.

“People want to know what’s going on and they are not being informed”.

Mr Heffernan concedes that deaths do occur in prison but feels the coronial inquiry will reveal only “some of these issues”.

He questioned if “random cell searches” are occurring as a part of routine and if staff shortages meant a failure to conduct those searches.

“Deaths in prison happen and you put measures in place to make sure it is kept to a minimum so these things don’t occur,” he said. “If it is drug related you intensify the measures you have in place to make sure drugs don’t enter the centre.”

Mr Heffernan called on Corrections Minister Geoff Lee to step in and review KPIs at Clarence Correctional Centre.

Corrections Minister Geoff Lee said he was “committed to ensuring all our correctional Centres, including Clarence, are safe and respectful workplaces and that inmates are supervised in a secure, safe and humane manner”.

“I’m not aware of any specific allegations regarding Clarence Correctional Centre,” he said.

“I encourage anyone to come forward if they have any specific allegations.

“I would also add the contract between CSNSW and Serco includes very strict KPIs in order to ensure Clarence Correctional Centre is operated at the high standards we expect from all our correctional centres in NSW.”

A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman told News Clarence Correctional Centre did not have the highest staff assault rate in the state in December 2021.

“Between 25 June 2020 and 30 April 2022, the rate of assaults on staff at Clarence Correctional Centre was 4 per 100 inmates, which is lower than the average of 4.4 per 100 at other maximum-security prisons during the same period,” she said. “We consider any assault on corrections staff as unacceptable and we support prosecutions of inmates who engage in this behaviour.

“We actively monitor all private prisons in NSW as mandated by the Crimes Act to ensure they meet the required outcomes.

“Clarence Correctional Centre was designed and constructed with world-class security features to maximise safety for staff and inmates.”

The spokeswoman said monitors review operations daily to ensure safety and security outcomes are met.

The Clarence Correctional Centre.

A Serco Australia spokeswoman said the company’s priority is to “maintain the security and good order of Clarence Correctional Centre by continuing to deliver essential services that keep our staff, visitors, and the inmates in our care safe”.

“Clarence Correctional Centre has appropriate staffing levels for the inmates accommodated at the centre,” she said. “Clarence Correctional Centre has an on-site pharmacy and medical clinic staffed by a team of heath care professionals who provide medication to inmates on a scheduled basis.”