Union to appeal prison officer’s sacking after falling asleep at work

A prison officer has been fired after falling asleep for “eight minutes” while on duty in the control room of the Hunter Correctional Centre over Christmas. But the union isn’t happy with the “harsh” penalty and will appeal the dismissal.

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A prison officer has been fired after falling asleep for “eight minutes” while on duty in the control room of the Hunter Correctional Centre over Christmas.

The junior officer was responsible for monitoring CCTV as part of security arrangements at the 400-bed maximum security jail.

It is understood the Public Service Association will be appealing his dismissal in the Industrial Relations Commission on the grounds it was “harsh”.

The officer fell asleep inside the control room while on duty.

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“He is an officer that was asleep for around eight minutes in a control room,” a union source said.

“He was responsible for monitoring CCTV for the security of the jail.

“It is a harsh penalty and we will be appealing to the IRC on his behalf.”

The sacking this week has led to anger among other prison officers, who point to another officer who received a good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to bashing an inmate.

The senior officer was charged with assault after being caught on CCTV striking a prisoner in holding cells at Newcastle courthouse in 2011.

He was later sentenced to seven months’ jail, with the term replaced with a nine-month good behaviour bond after he appealed.

While pleading guilty to assault, the officer alleged the prisoner — who was known to be infected with hepatitis C — had spat in his eyes.

He fell asleep for eight minutes inside Hunter Correctional Centre over Christmas. Picture: Supplied

A prison source said the officer is now being mentored to train as an executive officer.

“Everyone is up in arms how a bloke can flog an inmate and be on the path to becoming a commissioned officer and yet a junior officer gets dismissed for falling asleep momentarily,” the source said.

Opened in January this year to deal with the state’s prison overcrowding crisis, the “rapid build” jail was the first of its kind in housing prisoners in their own cubicles within an open-plan 25-bed dormitory.

Prison officers at the jail observe multiple dormitories from an upper tier, ensuring the safety and security of staff and inmates.

Other officers are charged with monitoring CCTV in the control room.

Given the open-style setting, supervision of inmates is paramount.

In August a senior prison officer was formally warned after he was photographed laying on a bed while on duty. Picture: Supplied

It is not the first time a prison officer has been fired for being asleep on the job.

Last year, a Long Bay jail prison officer who was supposed to be on watch in the prison gatehouse was fired after he was found asleep over two nights on a makeshift bed made up with two chairs.

In August this year, a senior prison officer was photographed laying on a bed while on duty during a Dubbo hospital escort of a medium security prisoner.

A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said all staff were subject to a standard misconduct procedure.

“A CSNSW officer has had their employment terminated following a serious misconduct offence,” she said.

“The officer underwent the standard misconduct process that applies to all staff.

“This is consistent with our approach when the security and good order of a correctional centre could be compromised.”