Risdon Prison boss to take time off during staff consultation

Risdon Prison’s chief superintendent will be on leave while a series of meetings is held into reviews of risk assessments and operations at the facility.

Risdon Prison chief superintendent Geraldine Hayes will be on leave while a series of meetings is held into reviews of risk assessments and operations at the facility. Picture: Gary Ramage

THE Risdon Prison boss has taken leave days before several staff meetings were to be held over ongoing reviews into prisoner classifications, risk assessments and operations.

In a notice issued to staff on October 11, seen by the Mercury, Risdon Prison chief superintendent Geraldine Hayes informed workers she would take two weeks of leave ahead of “several staff meetings” this week.

The letter states meetings would instead be facilitated by the acting chief superintendent, understood to be John Pickering, and correctional supervisor Nathan O’Dowd.

The letter states while the prisoner classification took place in September, further reviews would be conducted, as risk assessments were being processed and first-round consultations of a new draft operating manual would begin.

PRESSURE BUILDS OVER RISDON PRISONER’S ESCAPE

“There will be several staff meetings held at the Ron Barwick Minimum Security facility over the next week to allow for questions to be asked and updates provided,” Ms Hayes’s letter read.

“I will be on leave for a period of two weeks and A/CSI Pickering will take strategic coverage of the facility.”

The revelation follows a Custodial Inspectorate report tabled to State Parliament on Thursday calling for 90 improvements at Risdon Prison, including improvements to record keeping.

When asked why she was granted leave at the same time the prison arranged to hold a consultation period with its workers, a Department of Justice spokesman said: “The Tasmania Prison Service does not comment on individual staff arrangements.”

Meanwhile, the letter also details ongoing structural works to the prison’s minimum-security facility due for completion on November 15.

“We expect that the works in the visits area will be completed prior to this date. Once these works are completed the minimum inmates will again have access to the outside area of visits,” the letter read.

Ms Hayes was in charge of the minimum-security prison when prisoner Graham John Ennis used unsupervised scaffolding to clear a prison boundary and escape last month.