Inmates torch cells in riot at Brisbane jail for second day in protest at virus lockdown

Inmates at a Queensland prison have lit fires and flooded cells in protest to ongoing COVID-19 lockdown measures.

A Queensland prison has been torched, flooded and damaged by inmates frustrated by ongoing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

Brisbane’s Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre was set alight for the second day running on Tuesday.

It came less than 24 hours after nurses walked off the job amid the issuing of multiple code blacks as a result of rioting behaviour.

Fires were lit inside jail cells on Monday, another was flooded and CCTV cameras and windows were smashed.

Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin said there were two more incidents on Tuesday where prisoners lit fires, but the situation had since calmed down.

“People feel very disaffected by the fact they’ve been locked away for a significant period of time,” he said, adding only about 12 of the centre’s 1060 inmates had rioted.

“It’s a small number of prisoners that have been disgruntled, that have acted out.”

BREAKING: Reports another fire has broken out at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, after yesterday's rioting at the jail escalated. #7NEWS https://t.co/IlyY4yhJvf

— 7NEWS Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) September 1, 2020

Mr Martin said it was not a case of him wanting to impose further restrictions on their freedoms.

“This is not be being churlish,” he said.

“I can’t hide from the fact the science is telling us that we need to keep people segregated from each other...in order to keep them safe.”

The Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre was placed in lockdown last week after a training officer tested positive to COVID-19.

About 400 of the facility’s 530 staff have since been temporarily stood down to minimise the risk of spreading the virus, placing enormous strain on operations.

Incredibly, QCS employees from across the department have volunteered to make up the shortfall.

“I haven’t directed one single person to come to work at Arthur Gorrie, not one single person,” Mr Martin said.

Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin has praised the efforts of staff.

Nursing staff also returned to the job on Tuesday.

The commissioner said some of the unrest was due to staff, through no fault of their own, being unfamiliar with the facility and its technology.

“The prisoner population at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre is a particularly challenging one,” he said, adding most were awaiting sentence and had mental health or substance abuse issues.

But he also said the increased staffing levels meant they could start to allow prisoners some time out of their cells.

“I think that will reduce the temperature,” he said.

“The problem for us is that this has got a very long trajectory.

“Currently we’re at about day four.”

The prisoners involved in the most recent riots will be referred to police and will likely face consequences at the prison, including a loss of privileges.

“We always hold the prisoner accountable for their behaviour,” Mr Martin said.

“Taxpayers should not have to underwrite this.”