Women forced to join males in segregated police cells

WOMEN sentenced to prison are being turned away at the gates ­because our jails are at capacity.

Corrections officers inspect a new supermax prison trucks for transfer of high risk inmates at the Mary Wade Correctional Centre in Lidcombe.

WOMEN sentenced to prison are being turned away at the gates ­because our jails are at capacity.

Prison officers said the overcrowding crisis has reduced bed availability to zero on some days, while the number of women being sent to prison ranged from “one to 50”, ­according to the Public Service ­Asso­ciation.

The system is so stretched that many women are being forced to join their male counterparts in segregated police cells until a vacancy arises.

The issue was raised at a crisis meeting held last week between the union and senior management, with the department pledging both short-term and long-term solutions.

A typical prison cell room at Mulawa women's prison, Silverwater. The issue of overcrowding was raised at a crisis meeting last week.

However, PSA Prison Officers ­Vocational Branch chair Nicole Jess said action was needed now with police threatening to stop “babysitting” inmates.

“There are 330 beds at Silverwater Women’s and on most days it is full, as are other jails across the state,” Ms Jess said.

“We have women sitting in the court cells at Surry Hills while three women in Wollongong had to be turned away last week. We just don’t have enough space. This is the worst it has ever been.”

Ms Jess said the bed shortage was exacerbated by the removal of as many as 40 women from Dillwynia Correctional Centre three months ago following issues with fireproofing cells.

Police are engaged in an ­Industrial Relations Commission dispute over having to transport prisoners to court appearances, which they claim is taking resources off the streets.

A “buy-up” of goods is calculated at the Dillwynia facility.

NSW Police Association president Scott Weber said police were also being forced to supervise prisoners in cells as they waited for beds.

“We are not there to babysit prisoners,” he said.

Figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report released earlier this year show the number of women being incarcerated has soared from 682 to 1021 between 2011 and 2017.

It attributed the increase in part to a “dramatic” increase in repeat ­female offending.

A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman attributed the bed shortage to an unprecedented surge in inmate numbers.

She said that was a result of tougher sentencing and policing. She added the issue was being ­addressed with a round of new staff hirings.

Expanding existing centres was also expected to alleviate the problem

A 94-bed female prison — Mary Wade Correctional Centre — opened at Lidcombe in November last year.

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“There has been significant growth in female numbers and this is being addressed with the construction of more than 500 additional beds for women,” she said.

“In addition, a new state-of-the-art facility being built in Grafton will ­create 1700 beds for both male and ­female ­inmates.”