Prisoner advocates say at least 60 prisoners have been placed in isolation over fears they may have contracted the virus.
A group of prisoner rights groups have launched a new project to monitor how the coronavirus pandemic is being handled in Australian jails.
Miranda Gibson from Inside Out, a non-profit supporting LGBTIQ+ prisoners, said the group was concerned about a lack of hygiene products in prison and inmates having to spend increased time in their cells without participating in their usual programs or having visitors.
“Prison itself should not be a death sentence, and we don’t want to see people here in Australia dying from COVID-19 in prisons like they are overseas,” she told SBS News.
Every state and territory has now suspended social visits to adult prisons.
“People in prisons are telling us they don't have access to the adequate hygiene resources needed right now and a lot of hygiene products like hand sanitiser aren’t being provided without being paid for,” she said.
“For a lot of people, if you take away visits then you take away the only means of social support they have, so people inside are also telling us they want access to free phone calls and stamps.”
The group is calling , adding that releasing those eligible for bail, the elderly, people with health issues and First Nations people should be a priority to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading.
NSW has passed legislation giving Corrective Services the power to grant conditional parole to low-risk offenders who have pre-existing health conditions or are eligible for release within 12 months.
However, the state is yet to release any prisoners under this legislation, with a Corrective Services spokesperson telling SBS News “there are no immediate plans to release anyone using this emergency measure”.
The ACT has announced similar measures for young inmates and the Northern Territory has drawn up a list of 50 to 60 inmates who can be considered for early release, but no other state has announced plans to release inmates.
Also closely monitoring the changes within jails is Roxanne Moore, executive officer at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.
Ms Moore said she was concerned about the longer periods of time inmates were having to spend confined to their cells, particularly for new inmates, who are being isolated for 14 days upon arrival in some states.
Roxanne Moore of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service. Source: Twitter 'Roxy_Moore_'
“We’re hearing that people in some prisons are not allowed out of their cells for up to 22 hours a day,” she told SBS News.
“Some families I’m talking to are saying they haven’t been able to have a lot of contact with members inside, and some say they know their family members inside are sick and they’re really concerned about the risk of COVID-19.”
Ms Moore said the risk presented by COVID-19 was compounded for Indigenous inmates with pre-existing health conditions.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been identified as among the most at-risk of COVID-19 in terms of contracting the virus but also dying from the virus, and that’s due to our mob having higher rates of co-morbidity factors, particularly for people who are over 50 years,” she said.
“Governments have to do everything in their power to prevent a black death in custody. Lockdowns wont stop COVID-19 from getting into prisons, but decarceration will.”
In NSW, at least two prison health care workers have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Long Bay Correctional Complex.
Corrective Services NSW said it had made surgical masks, latex gloves and hand sanitiser available in its prisons, upped its cleaning regimen and is monitoring high-risk inmates.
“We have implemented a number of measures to prevent the virus entering our correctional centre environment, including suspending all family visits to prisons since 17 March, quarantining fresh custodies for 14 days, screening all staff and inmates on entry to our prisons and increasing cleaning at all facilities,” a spokesperson told SBS News.
The Long Bay Correctional Centre in Sydney, where at least two healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19. Source: AAP
“We recognise the importance of visits for inmates and are working to ensure these family and community links are maintained.”
The spokesperson said Corrective Services had been trialling virtual visits in the audio visual booths usually used for court appearances, and had already facilitated more than 4,000 video calls since 11 April.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
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