TRANSCRIPT
Since the Country Liberal Party swept to power in August - on a wave of 'tough on crime' policies - prisoner numbers in the Northern Territory have surged.
Gerard Maley is the NT's Corrections Minister.
"Look, we have had an increase of some 400 prisoners since we have been elected. We are making space for them because we have a clear mandate to keep the community safe."
NT Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley says the latest tally has broken all previous records - with the total number of inmates behind bars now at 2658...most of them First Nations.
"400 prisoners is a 20 percent growth to the prison population for the Northern Territory in the space of four or five months. That would stretch any corrections service around the country and I know that because I've spoken to my counterparts about it. So I'm very proud of the way our officers are continuing to show up, continuing to work hard and continuing to find solutions to daily operational problems."
With Police watch-houses being used as prisons, NT Police Association President Nathan Finn has said there are serious concerns for the safety of officers and inmates alike.
"There's limited room for showering, limited room for exercise in that facility, so potentially they're locked up in a cell sometimes for 24 hours out of a 24-hour period, locked in the same cell with up to 16 other people."
He says police have also changed their approach to tackling crime because of the prison crisis.
"They've been instructed that non-urgent arrests are to be avoided if possible, to alleviate the pressures we're currently seeing in our watch houses. That's been instructed by NT Police."
Darwin's Berrimah Prison was previously known as the Don Dale detention facility.
In November last year, all the youth detainees were transferred from there to a new place: the Holtze Youth Detention Centre.
Now, Berrimah once again houses adult prisoners with 58 new beds.
The Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency says it was ruled unfit for purpose years ago - and its renewed use will not achieve what the government is hoping for.
[["...the situation will have a devastating impact on Aboriginal communities and families for generations to come and it is not reducing crime."]]
Instead, the Agency has called for a package of funding and policy changes to address the underlying causes of crime, greater support for the justice system, as well as better safeguards for Aboriginal people in custody.
