A former youth justice officer recovering from a debilitating workplace injury is warning about the safety risks posed by understaffed and overcrowded Northern Territory prisons.
A Darwin-based former youth detention worker who had two fingers cut off in a cell door is sounding the alarm about understaffing across the NT's prison system.
It said the officer involved "breached department policies and procedures" and had "undergone disciplinary action and further training". He said when he was injured just before 7pm, the guards were tired at the end of their 12-hour shifts. Current youth detention centre workers have told the ABC staff shortages and long overtime are contributing to fatigue and stress.ABC News: Pete GarnishRetired Darwin youth detention centre guard Ian Johns has stayed in touch with his former colleagues.
Corrections Minister Gerard Maley said the damage included smashed wash basins, metal intercom panels torn from bedroom walls and light and power sockets ripped from walls.to maximise available space and has recently opened its new Darwin youth detention centre. In the last financial year, 42 youth detention incidents resulted in injury — 36 of them young people and six of them staff.Mr Del Brocco said he was also worried about the safety net available to workers injured in the NT.
Mr Del Brocco has been dismayed to discover the NT is the only Australian jurisdiction where workers cannot sue for compensation.
Compensation Prison Jail Injury Manuel Del Brocco Nt Government
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