Inside Parklea Jail: Lost cell keys, hostages and contraband

LOST keys, prison officers taken hostage and an inmate being walked around residential streets — these are some of the startling claims that have been made about Sydney’s most scandal-plagued prisons.

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LOST keys, prison officers taken hostage and an inmate being walked around residential streets — these are some of the startling claims that have been made about Sydney’s most scandal-plagued prisons.

The Sunday Telegraph gained access to the claims, which are contained in submissions lodged as part of a State parliamentary inquiry — set to begin into the privately-run Parklea Jail following revelations of prisoners smuggling drugs, weapons and mobile phones.

The State government last month confirmed the GEO Group which has been responsible for running Parklea since it was privatised in 2009 would not have its contracted extended, with instead G4S, Serco and joint venture partners MTC/Broadspectrum short-listed to take over.

The latest claims, made by past and present prison officers, a nurses union, academics and a local resident, comes as the Public Service Association steps up its campaign to against proposed staff cuts.

Parklea Correctional Centre is being looked at as part of a State parliamentary inquiry.

One prison officer, who worked at Parklea for three years, said there were times when three officers were left in charge of 1000 inmates.

In one of the more serious incidents two female officers were taken hostage by two males whose cell door had been left open.

The inmates used handmade knives, or “shivs” to threaten the officers into handing over the keys of other cells in the wing where about 46 maximum security inmates were housed.

“Fortunately the officer was smart enough to hide those keys in her pocket and produced a second set of keys that gave them access to all the areas bar the front gate and any cells,” the officer wrote.

“The inmates then took their hostage, left the wing and entered the sterile zone and made their way to the external wall at the back of segregation.

“Realising they needed a method to climb the wall, one inmate ran back up the sterile zone and into the wing to gather sheets to form a rope.”

With the watchtowers unmanned at night, the inmates climbed onto a catwalk before their escape bid was foiled after an officer in a patrol vehicle drew his revolver, forcing the pair to surrender.

Contraband has been found in past raids at Parklea Jail.

The officer claimed the armed external patrol had since been cut.

One prison officer who worked as part of a transition team claimed many security breaches such as keys being lost or cell doors left open were not officially recorded.

“I’m aware of many security breaches tha (sic) were not reported,” he said.

“Lost keys, cell doors left open, inmates moved around after lock-in hours, inmates segregated after their time had elapsed the initial 14-hour period.”

The officer, who was at the jail until April 2011, said he witnessed inmates watching DVDs in reception rooms, while mobile phones and other contraband was “free flowing”.

A resident described eight years living next to the prison as stressful.

“As a resident of Parklea Drive, we have been fed up,” the resident said.

“The alarm goes off in the middle of the night.

“I have seen the guards taking the inmate for a walk around the community in large groups.”

A resident who lives near the jail claims to have seen a guard taking an inmate for a walk around the community.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association general secretary Brett Holmes said the “inadequate” numbers of prison officers had led to large amounts of contraband entering the jail, including suboxone wafers used as a substitute for heroin.

The perimeter wall also resulted in contraband being thrown onto the roof where it was collected by inmates.

Corrections Minister David Elliott said the new operator would be held “much more accountable”.

“Lessons learned during the almost 12 years since the Parklea contract was signed have informed a new contract for Parklea’s operation beginning March 2019,” he said.

“This will hold the new operator much more accountable for achieving best practice outcomes, including for inmate safety, security and rehabilitation.”

He said benchmarking would continue throughout the inquiry to allow the community and Government to be assured the system was delivering good outcomes for the public spend.