Ombudsman demands urgent action over 'unreasonable' prisoner conditions in watch houses

A damning report has called for urgent action to end the practice of housing overwhelmingly Aboriginal prisoners in ‘extremely poor’ conditions that fall ‘significantly below’ national standards.

An NT Ombudsman report has exposed the shocking conditions for prisoners in police watch houses. Photograph of cell 4 in the Alice Springs Watch House. Corrections assess this cell to be capable of holding a maximum of 15 occupants. This photograph was taken in October 2025 but is representative of the conditions during the review period.

Northern Territory prisoners kept in police watch houses were subject to “unreasonable and oppressive” conditions, including extreme confinement, sleep deprivation, inhumane toilet access, and widespread deterioration of physical and mental health.

The damning assessment by the NT Ombudsman has been laid out in a report calling for urgent government action to stop housing overwhelmingly Aboriginal prisoners in “extremely poor” conditions that fall “significantly below” national standards.

The watchdog’s investigation spanned four months from November to February this year, following the CLP government’s bail crackdown and an explosion in the NT corrections population.

Watch houses are designed for short-term detention, but chronic prison bed shortages have forced overflow prisoner stays of weeks and months in the police facilities.

Photograph of cell M3 in the Palmerston Watch House with what appears to be 17 prisoners. Corrections assess this cell to be capable of holding a maximum of 18 occupants.

According to the report, tabled to parliament on Thursday, prisoners often had less than two square metres to themselves in the Palmerston Watch House.

They were forced to sleep shoulder to shoulder under constant artificial lighting.

One interviewee described an elderly man accidentally losing part of his finger as he tried to navigate beds on the floor.

“The cells were overcrowded so there were mattresses in the doorway. He’d grabbed the door seal to sort of step over people, and then as he done that guard closed the door, and then his thumb just came off completely,” he said.

Prisoners were given practically no time outside or access to fresh air.

Combined toilet and water basin in the Alice Springs Watch House.

The only drinking water available was atop toilets, which offered no privacy from other inmates.

“Toilet was blocked and we had to drink water from that bubbler, it was disgusting. It stinks. We kept asking the officers for a cup of water and they said no,” one interviewee said.

Others described embarrassment and extreme constipation as they avoided using the toilet in such close quarters.

Acting Ombudsman Bronwyn Haack described the toilet situation as “undignified and inhumane”, particularly for women dealing with periods or those with health issues.

A toilet in the Alice Springs watch house with a mattress placed over the toilet to act as a makeshift screen.

Other basic hygiene issues were also persistent – prisoners only able to shower and brush their teeth every second day, and no fresh underwear provided to men.

In the report Ms Haack recognised the task faced by the Department of Corrections and NT Police Force would have been “immensely challenging”, and acknowledged “the effort of their staff to care for Territory prisoners in trying circumstances”.

A challenge worsened by the behavioural issues arising from prisoner overcrowding.

Katherine Watch House Police told Ms Haack it was obvious that long stays in the cell caused a drop in mental health for some prisoners.

“I am concerned that the watch house conditions made conditions for staff and prisoners less safe and contributed to incidents of prisoner aggression, prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, prisoner-on-NT Police or prisoner-on-Corrections staff assaults and mental health episodes,” Ms Haack said.

Cells in the Katherine Watch House.

She recommended the NT government remove Territory prisoners from watch house facilities as a matter of urgency, while noting Katherine was slightly better suited for medium-term stays.

If prisoners had to be kept in police facilities, she made a raft of recommendations to improve watch house conditions, including ensuring prisoners have at least four square meters of space, ensuring sufficient clean clothing and bedding, facilitating contact with family, and establishing accurate record-keeping for prisoner data and logistics.

Originally published as Ombudsman demands urgent action over 'unreasonable' prisoner conditions in watch houses