Ombudsman claims ‘persistent and endemic’ use of force happening in remand centres

The Victorian Ombudsman claims officers are using unreasonable force on prisoners, with reports presenting “a disturbing picture”.

The Victorian Ombudsman has sounded the alarm on “persistent and endemic” issues around the use of force in remand centres.

The Victorian Ombudsman has sounded the alarm on “persistent and endemic” issues around the use of force in remand centres.

In a report, tabled in parliament on Wednesday, Ombudsman Deborah Glass found that instances of officers using “unreasonable use of force” on prisoners do not appear to be declining.

Ms Glass probed eight cases where prisoners had claimed to have been physically injured.

“While this is a small number, the evidence of our investigations – in the context of previous reports, reviews, and the overall data – illustrates the persistent and endemic nature of the problems, despite the best efforts of Corrections Victoria to address them,” she said.

“The incidents in this report present a disturbing picture; even when the allegations were not substantiated, we found officers used force on people with acquired brain injuries or other vulnerabilities, because the prison environment had created a situation where it became necessary.”

In one case, a man was allegedly choked while in his cell at the Melbourne Remand Centre in September 2018.

A prisoner said he was threatened and punched in the head, while another claimed to have been kicked in the head and “stomped on” after he was left behind by a court transport van.

Ms Glass concluded that prison officers had instigated violence with prisoners in two of the incidents, and failed to de-escalate the situation in the other six cases.

She said half of the eight cases were substantiated, but all showed “concerning behaviour or poor decision making by officers”.

“Even where allegations were not substantiated, we found officers used force on people with acquired brain injuries and other vulnerabilities, because the prison environment had created a situation where it became necessary,” she said.

Ms Glass said despite prisons being inherently challenging environments, it is “disturbing” that allegations of excessive force against prisoners do not appear to be declining.

“Allegations of abuse are usually hard to investigate, and harder to substantiate,” she added.

“Prisoners told us that incidents were not reported for fear of making the situation worse, fear of reprisal, fear of not being believed or that no action would be taken, so it is impossible to capture the true extent of the use of force.”

The report made 13 recommendations, including increasing CCTV coverage and the use of body worn cameras.

Originally published as Ombudsman claims ‘persistent and endemic’ use of force happening in remand centres