Auditor-General reveals rise in assaults in Victorian men’s prisons

ASSAULTS are increasing in Victoria’s men’s jails as the rise in prisoner numbers, as well as mental health and drug withdrawal issues, cause more violence.

ASSAULTS are on the rise in Victoria’s men’s jails as more prisoners than ever before are locked up.

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The state’s Auditor-General has revealed there were more than 1500 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in 2016-17.

The attacks landed 53 prisoners in hospital.

The Auditor-General’s report found the jump in violence was caused by the explosion in prisoner numbers, as well as mental health and drug withdrawal issues.

The watchdog made the findings as part of a review into the safety and operating costs of Port Phillip and Fulham prisons — two of the state’s three privately run jails.

Port Phillip and Fulham prisons house about a quarter of the state’s male prison population.

It found Port Phillip Prison, run by G4S, had “consistently unperformed” against targets for prisoner-on-prisoner and prisoner-on-staff assaults between 2010-11 and 2016-17.

Fulham, operated by GEO, had three times failed to meet the benchmarks for assaults on prisoners, staff or both.

“Neither private prison ope­rator is investigating serious inc­idents using methods that effectively identify the root causes,” the report says.

Port Phillip and Fulham prisons house about a quarter of the state’s male prison population.

The report, released yesterday, reveals Victoria’s privately-run prisons were up to 20 per cent cheaper to operate than public jails.