NSW prison inmates trained as crime scene cleaners

Prison inmates at Sydney’s busiest jail are being taught how to remove blood splatter at crime scenes and how to sterilise a meth lab.

Inmates at Sydney’s busiest prison are learning gory forensic cleaning skills — from how to remove blood splatter at a crime scene to sterilising a meth lab.

The course was introduced at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre (MRRC) at Silverwater last year in a move to keep the deadly Covid-19 virus outside prison walls, by increasing deep cleans across the facility.

Which came in handy on Wednesday, when a new inmate who was in isolation tested positive to the virus. All close contacts returned negative test results.

Frontline staff at Sydney’s Silverwater Prison are teaching inmates forensic cleaning skills as an additional measure to help keep Covid-19 outside prison walls.

An officer shows an inmate how to forensically clean a cell.

Cleaning outside the cells.

On Wednesday, 2½ hours drive southwest of MRRC, Golbourn’s Supermax was in lockdown after a staff member was deemed a close contact. They have since returned a negative result, but will continue to isolate.

Prior to yesterday’s case, NSW had only one other inmate test positive last year, who was also in isolation and did not spread the disease.

NSW Corrective Services acting commissioner Kevin Corcoran said thorough cleaning was one of the ways the virus had been kept out of the prison system.

“I’m extremely proud of our 10,000 frontline corrections staff for their incredible ability to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic and keep the virus out of our correctional centres,” Mr Corcoran said.

“Training inmate hygiene teams to deep-clean our prisons daily is just one of the ways they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Our staff are our first line of defence against the virus and I thank them for their terrific efforts in keeping our prisons safe.”

They are also being trained in what protection outfits to wear.

An inmate changing from his greens into PPE.

MRRC Governor Adam Wilkinson said the 60-hour cleaning course had given inmates a chance to gain valuable cleaning qualifications which could help them find employment when they were released.

“We receive more than 7000 fresh custodies into MRRC each year, so it’s vital that our centre maintains a high level of hygiene,” MRRC Governor Adam Wilkinson said.

“Forensic cleaning is a very valuable skill in the current climate, so these men are not only receiving on-the-job training and experience, but they’ll be leaving prison with the ability to pursue employment or further study.”

Training includes infection prevention measures, how to safely remove body fluids, decontaminating after a death or murder, and dealing with hazardous chemicals.

The hygiene team speak with staff.

About 60 inmates have achieved a Certificate III in Cleaning Operations, with 40 staff currently undergoing training.

Inmate “Daniel” told The Daily Telegraph: “It’s a real feather in the hat — who knows, I might start my own cleaning company. I feel confident that I will have more opportunities to find real employment upon release.”

Corrections Minister Anthony Roberts said staff and inmates had been working tirelessly for more than a year to make prisons safe.

“The safety of staff and inmates has always been the number one priority in fighting the challenges of Covid-19. It’s great to see inmates at MRRC gain a valuable qualification in forensic cleaning.

“No doubt this will be a crucial skill for the foreseeable future and I hope this training will help offenders gain employment upon release,” Mr Roberts said.