Jail boss Tracey Mannix charged with common assault of inmate
A highly respected female jail boss has been stood down after allegedly coming to blows with a male inmate inside a Sydney maximum security prison. It is alleged she grabbed the prisoner’s shirt and then put her hands around his throat.
NSW
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A highly respected jail boss has been stood down after allegedly coming to blows with an inmate while she was covering for staff on strike.
Tracey Mannix has held senior positions at several jails across the state, including Long Bay and Emu Plains.
Her most recent position put her in charge of the Dawn de Loas Correctional Centre, a minimum security prison in Silverwater.
However, her rise came to a dramatic halt last year after a stoush near the prison kitchen with an inmate.
According to police sources, Ms Mannix took the unusual step of patrolling the prison because many staff were on strike as part of industrial action.
She approached a 33-year-old inmate who was serving food to his fellow crims and an argument broke out.
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It is alleged the confrontation escalated to a point where Ms Mannix allegedly grabbed the prisoner’s shirt and then put her hands around his throat.
The inmate was also pushed up against a wall before others intervened and he was escorted to a cell.
A prison source said the incident wasn’t reported at the time but eventually ended up with Corrective Service’s Professional Standards Branch, who referred it to NSW Police.
In late November Ms Mannix, 52, was charged with common assault.
She has appeared twice in Burwood Court, where she pleaded not guilty, and is due to appear again in March.
A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman confirmed she had been suspended.
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