Alice Springs Corrections officer in intensive care after alleged attack by low-security prisoner
An Alice Springs corrections officer has reportedly suffered significant injuries after being attacked by a prisoner in the low-security section of the prison. Read the latest.
Police & Courts
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A Northern Territory prison worker was reportedly taken to the intensive care unit after an alleged assault by a low-security prisoner at Alice Springs Corrections Centre.
United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early said a corrections officer in his early 30s was beaten by a prisoner on Monday morning.
Ms Early alleged the officer was attacked by a single prisoner while in the low-security ‘cottage’ section of the desert prison.
She said the alleged assault was captured by security cameras.
It showed the officer was allegedly attacked to the back of the head in a coward’s punch, with the prisoner continuing to kick him in the head while he was on the ground.
Ms Early said it remained unclear what sparked the attack, with Corrections investigating the incident.
She said the worker was taken to the intensive care unit in Alice Springs Hospital, with an NT Health spokeswoman confirming he was dischared from care later that day.
A Corrections spokeswoman confirmed the incident occured with the staff member requiring medical attention.
“NTCS cannot provide further comment on health matters relating to staff or prisoners,” she said.
“The matter has been referred to NT Police for investigation and we are unable to comment further.”
NT Police initially redirected all inquiries to the prison, but later confirmed that its “investigations are currently ongoing”.
Ms Early said workers had raised concerns prisoner security classifications were being downgraded due to chronic pressures on the system.
She alleged there was pressure to move people to a lower security grading to speed up their release process.
The latest Productivity Commission data reported the Territory’s prison population surged over its capacity in the secure sectors, with the NT Attorney-General’s annual report showing prison numbers broke records month-after-month last financial year.
The Productivity Commission reported NT prisons reached 101.8 per cent of their secure capacity in 2022-23, while open sections of the prison reached 85.8 per cent utilisation rates.
It said prisoner-on-prisoner violence meant there were 9.58 reported assaults per 100 people locked up, with one serious assault per 1000 people.
Attacks on officers were less common, with 0.85 assaults of workers per 100 prisoners in 2022-23, according to the Productivity Commission.
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