Silverwater, Dillwynia prisons: Pictures reveal ‘dilapidated’ state inside women’s prisons

Mould, water damage, staff burnout, and a ‘collapse’ in support programs have been identified during an audit of two major NSW female prisons.

Photos of the audit of Silverwater Women Correctional Centre and Dillwynia Correctional

A shock audit has called for a major overhaul of the state’s two female prisons to address dilapidated facilities, staff burnout and unnecessary strip searches – but has failed to make any findings into how a male prison guard was able to sexually assault and rape nine inmates.

The NSW Inspector of Custodial Services Fiona Rafter has delivered a scathing assessment of the Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre and Dillwynia Correctional Centre and accused Corrective Services of “failing to properly plan” and respond to the needs of women in custody.

The audit has made more than 30 recommendations to lift the standards of the prisons which cater for up to 741 female inmates across minimum and maximum security facilities.

But the Inspector of Custodial Services 112-page report has also come under scrutiny from internal sources from within the prison for failing to mention the high profile criminal case of Wayne Astill – a Dillwynia Correctional prison guard who was last year sentenced to a maximum 23 years in jail for the rape and indecent assault of nine women at the complex.

Astill was found guilty by a jury of 27 charges, including the aggravated sexual and indecent assault of inmates including one who was pregnant.

Ex Prison guard Wayne Astill pictured during a Downing Centre Court hearing in 2022.

The case prompted the NSW government to launch a special inquiry into the matter, however the Inspector of Custodial Services report did not make any recommendations about potential measures that could have been taken to prevent the offending from occurring.

The report was instead critical about facilities and programs at the Dillwynia Correctional Centre, located in northwest Sydney, which is classified as the largest women’s correctional centre in NSW.

Concerns included “a lack of demonstrated understanding” by staff of the different needs of women on remand, particularly in relation to access to legal resources and services.

A photo of a cell at Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre.

Mould was identified in some shower facilities.

The report stated Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre’s function as the primary women’s reception centre in Greater Sydney has been compromised “by its dilapidated induction unit and segregation cells”.

The audit even made the extraordinary call of stating it “would be appropriate to call for the closure of Silverwater if it were not for the presence of the specialist units that operate on the site”.

The report also noted there had been disruption caused by extended leave of absence of former governor Tracey Mannix who was stood down in mid-2021 after being charged with the common assault of an inmate.

A photo of a segregation cell at Silverwater.

The report into the facilities was handed down by Fiona Rafter.

Ms Rafter said the circumstances of the case were “potentially destabilising for management of a correctional centre.”

Ms Mannix was found guilty of the charge at Burwood Local Court in April, 2023.

At both prisons, the audit found cultural support for Aboriginal women “appeared to have collapsed” and called for more targeted, individual support.

A photo inside Dillwynia Correctional Centre.

Other areas of concern included mould and water damage in living areas at Silverwater, cells containing multiple ligature or ‘hanging’ points, lengthy wait lists for health services including chronic disease screening, and a practice of “unnecessary strip searches” of inmates that did not use body scanners.

The audit found a 248 bed expansion of Dillwynia contained the same type of accommodation for men which it deemed “unsuitable for accommodating women”.

Ms Rafter made 38 recommendations to lift the standards of the facilities including ending unnecessary strip searching, and measures to address staff burnout and absenteeism.

The audit report made 38 recommendations.

Corrective Services in a statement said it would “carefully consider all recommendations, review them in closer detail and enact appropriate changes at the earliest possible opportunity”.

“Corrective Services continually seeks to improve security, correctional centre design, access to education and health services, and inmate management in all of its correctional centres,” a spokesman said.

The NSW Inspector of Custodial Services was contacted for further comment.