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Acacia Prison, Wooroloo, Australia
Sep 15, 2018
dailymail.co.uk
Six former female prison officers accused of having 'inappropriate
relationships with inmates after grooming them' are under investigation
Six female prison officers accused of having 'inappropriate
relationships with prisoners' are being investigated by the Corruption and
Crime Commission. Each of the women allegedly engaged with prisoners at
Acacia Prison in Western Australia, but have since quit their jobs or been
sacked from the corrective facility. The former officers from the privately
run Serco prison in Wooroloo were allegedly 'groomed' by inmates before
developing relationships, Perth Now reported. Corrective Services Minister
Fran Logan said it's not the first time 'grooming' has been an issue at
Acacia prison and he's requested an urgent meeting with Serco. 'I have
requested the department to refer all matters relating to the six officers
to the CCC for further examination and investigation,' he said. Mr Logan
said he previously raised his concerns about staff misconduct at Acacia
with CCC after two female officers allegedly under investigation quit their
jobs. Serco also reported the misconduct to the CCC after they allegedly
received evidence from intelligence officers at the corrective facility.
Each of the six women left their jobs at Acacia between 2015 and 2018. No
charges have been laid, partly because it was deemed difficult to charge an
officer who has already resigned, the CCC committee revealed on Wednesday.
Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassall said while they can't prevent
prison officers from resigning from their jobs, they can prevent them from
being re-employed. The issue of consent between prison guards and inmates
was another obstacle that made it difficult to prosecute officers, he
added. The recent allegations of inappropriate behaviour come weeks after
another prison guard was accused of having sex with an inmate. Married
prison officer Amy Mershell Connors allegedly engaged in a 12-month-long
sexual relationship with convicted cop killer Sione Penisini. The former prison officer from Kempsey
Correctional Centre in News South Wales, faced court on August 20, where it
was revealed Penisini allegedly 'groomed' her to lose weight before
engaging in a long-term sexual relationship. Ms Connors is due to face
court again on November 21. aily Mail Australia has reached out to the CCC
for comment.
Dec
9, 2017 theguardian.com
Two officers at Serco-run prison suspended over drug smuggling
investigation
The head of Western Australia’s corruption watchdog has stood down two
prison officers at a Serco-run jail and warned more could follow in an
ongoing investigation into the smuggling of drugs and other illegal items.
Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) boss John McKechnie said the
investigation had discovered “disturbing information and evidence about the
ease by which serious drugs and steroids can be smuggled into prisons”. The
two custodial officers who were suspended are employed at Perth’s Acacia
Prison, which is run by private company Serco. The officers were suspected
of engaging in serious misconduct following a joint inquiry by the CCC,
Department of Justice and WA Police, a statement said. The investigation
was focusing on improper associations between custodial officers and
prisoners, and the facilitation of drugs and contraband into WA prisons.
McKechnie told 6PR radio on Friday that he was also disturbed about the
lack of proper security checks at Acacia. “Also, the ability of some
prisoners to attempt to groom some prisoners outside and make
relationships, which they then use to subvert the officers,” he said. The
joint investigation is also looking at prisons all over the state, and
people including other prison officers, McKechnie said. Those people may avoid
more serious punishments if they come forward now. “If they think they have
been doing the wrong thing, they want to come and tell us,” he said. “We
are more interested in the systemic problem. They may not know we are
already looking and listening.” The CCC has special powers to compel people
to be interviewed confidentially and under oath, but can also offer
protection to witnesses. The Department of Justice would not comment on the
two officers but said it had “zero tolerance for any form of corruption or
misconduct that compromises the safety and security of the prison estate
and WA community”. “Prison officers hold a position of trust and any action
that undermines this and the valuable work done by the majority of prison
officers is unacceptable,” a statement said.
May 11, 2017
bunburymail.com.au
Acacia Prison incident not result of 'short-staffing
Private prison operator Serco has rejected claims its Acacia prison is
short-staffed after a WA union said the corporation had failed to address
"rising tensions" inside the facility. An incident occurred in
the medium security prison where two officers were assaulted by inmates on
Friday. The Western Australian Prison Officers Union (WAPOU) said the
facility had been about 17 staff short on the day of the incident, and the
incident was a result of poor staffing levels. "Acacia is full and the
staff are stretched," WAPOU secretary John Welch said. "The
tension and pressure in the prison is being felt by members, who are
concerned that it could escalate. "Prison staff are consistently run
off their feet and working under pressure because the prison is working at
maximum capacity." The Acacia medium security facility is currently
run by the private security firm Serco; a company also responsible for court
security and non-clinical services at Fiona Stanley Hospital in WA. As of
January 2017, 1513 offenders were kept at the facility. This prison
population means it is currently the largest facility in WA. A Serco
spokesman said the concerns raised by the WAPOU were not justified, and the
incident was a one-off. "The safety and security of staff and the men
in our care is a priority at Acacia Prison," he said. "This
isolated incident was handled extremely well by our staff. Unfortunately
two staff were injured and we are working closely with them to provide
support and care. "The prison "temperature" is measured
daily and has not seen any specific increase in tensions over the past
weeks." In WA, both public and private corrective services operate on
a "dynamic" offender-to-staff ratio, and local agreements between
the Department of Corrective Service and private facilities allow operating
regimes to adapt in order to ensure "safe and secure" operation.
A Department of Corrective Services spokesman said the department keeps a
close eye on all prison facilities to ensure they meet staffing agreements.
"The Department of Corrective Services has a rigorous contract and
performance monitoring system to manage privately operated prisons,"
he said. "The performance of private operators is monitored daily and
they can be abated for not meeting contractual obligations." However
Mr Welch said Serco's perceived "low staffing levels" continued
to be used as a means to justify the claim private prisons were cheaper to
run than the public sector. "In the private sector, we have grave
concerns that the lower staffing levels impact not only prison officers'
and prisoner safety, but it also impacts on prison officers' ability to
have positive interactions with prisoners which are necessary to maintain
trust and stability within the prison," he said. "The more
stressed and busy the staff are, the more it impacts on the quality of
what's delivered. We're not suggesting Acacia doesn't deliver some good
outcomes for prisoners, but staff are being affected by the stress of
always operating at maximum capacity, and so are prisoners." But Serco
denied the Acacia facility was currently short-staffed. "There is no
single officer-to-prisoner ratio as Acacia runs a dynamic security model
with staffing to meet the needs of the cohort and facility on a daily
basis. It is not short-staffed," a spokesman said. Serco referenced
the Department of Corrective Services 2015/2016 annual report in order to
reject claims there had been more recorded problems in its private facility
in comparison to other state-run prisons. "The union claims are not
borne out in fact. Over the past 12 months the rate of staff assaults from
prisoners at Acacia is 1.35 per 100 prisoners. "In the 2015/16 year
the level of assaults in WA public prisons was 1.5 per 100 prisoners."
In a December 2016 report, the Office of the Inspector of Custodial
Services Neil Morgan outlined a number of overcrowding issues with the
Acacia facility. It was found that only 536 beds and cells at the facility
met the Australasian Standard Guidelines, despite a population of 1468
prisoners. Acacia is still crowded in many units through double-bunking,
despite a significant expansion made in 2014 Access to the oval and
gymnasium was further restricted since the expansion, especially for
protection prisoners, although efforts are being made to install more unit
based activities Dental and mental health services proved insufficient for
the population. The detention unit was not expanded, affecting punishment and
other regimes. Some other services are insufficiently resourced for the
population, including the Aboriginal Visitors Scheme and Outcare (which has
the re-entry contract). However overall, the report also said Serco
continued to fulfil its obligation to the State Government. "Serco do
have a very strong sense of what is required and a proven capacity for
innovation. Importantly, they have also demonstrated a strong professional
commitment to the prison that has certainly not been driven by profit
alone," Mr Morgan said.
January 15, 2010 West Australian
Confiscated contraband which could include weapons, drugs and pornography is
missing inside WA's biggest men's jail, prompting an internal investigation
into the security breach. The Department of Corrective Services confirmed
the contraband was found to be missing at privately-run Acacia Prison last
week and that some had not been recovered. Corrective Services security
director Simon Kincart said the department was confident the contraband,
which was taken from a storage cabinet, would be found soon. The department
refused to say what the contraband was and would not answer questions about
whether prisoners or staff were suspects or whether the cabinet had been
left unlocked. "Internal investigations are continuing and I'm not
prepared to make any further comment which may risk compromising prison
operations," Mr Kincart said. Shadow corrective services minister Paul
Papalia said the incident was a serious security breach and highlighted the
pressures from chronic overcrowding in WA jails. Corrective Services
Minister Christian Porter said he was aware of the situation at Acacia and
the department was investigating the matter. Serco Australia, which runs
the jail, said it had nothing to add to the department's statement.
December 29, 2009 The Western Australian
A violent prisoner who assaulted four jail staff and was involved in a
dozen other aggressive outbursts was allowed to stay in the general
medium-security prison population, leaked emails from Acacia Prison reveal.
The confidential emails from concerned workers to management claimed staff
shortages were partly to blame for the unsafe working environment. The
emails, obtained by "The West Australian", said management
should have put the violent prisoner on a close supervision order or under
a specialist management regime. The staff indicated in some of the emails,
written between September and this month, that individualised attention was
increasingly difficult as staff were struggling with heavy workloads at the
overcrowded jail. There is one less staff member now compared with when the
prison had 150 fewer inmates. The staff said there had been 22 staff
recruits since the additional inmates, but 23 had left or were on long-term
leave. The emails said the violent prisoner's 16 aggressive incidents
included him groping the jail's female chaplain. "We are all aware
that we work in a prison, but allowing one prisoner to perpetrate four
assaults in six months and still stay medium security needs to be
addressed," a worker wrote. The staff claim that managers from Serco
Australia, which could not be contacted yesterday, told them they wanted to
keep the prisoner in the mainstream jail population to
"normalise" him before he was moved to a country facility.
Another guard said in an email that a lone female guard had to supervise
150 inmates during outdoor activity. The guard was concerned at the big
number of prisoners and feared for her safety because the group included a
prisoner who had continually threatened to rape and kill her.
"Incidents of a threatening/confronting nature have resulted in staff
securing themselves rather than controlling situations," the guard
wrote. "Recent incidents reflect the sentiment of prisoners who are
fully aware of the staff's lack of ability to contain the prisoners here in
an emergency situation." Shadow corrective services minister Paul
Papalia said it was important to discuss the problems because Serco
Australia was likely to be considered for new jail contracts. Mr Papalia
said staff shortages meant the prison was not achieving the number of
organised activities required under its contract. The Community and Public
Sector Union said there were continuing concerns about staff safety as
prison populations increased, causing tensions in sleeping quarters and in
places such as the kitchen and gym. Attorney-General Christian Porter said
yesterday it was difficult to verify the accuracy of the staff claims but
said: "I have asked the Department of Corrective Services to check
each of these allegations thoroughly to see if they can be verified."
Adelaide Remand Centre
Jan 2, 2021
abc.net.au/news
Adelaide Remand
Centre fined $100,000 for prisoner Jason Burdon's clothes rope escape
The South
Australian Government has fined the privately operated Adelaide Remand
Centre $100,000 over the escape of prisoner Jason Burdon last month. Police
said Mr Burdon fled from the maximum security prison's kitchen area on the
morning of December 1, using items of clothing as a rope to climb out of a
metal louvre window. They said he got away on a stolen electric bicycle and
then allegedly stole a four-wheel drive from West Lakes Shore and was
recaptured, 15 kilometres south of the city, more than 24 hours later. The
33-year-old pleaded guilty to the escape, but not guilty to resisting
arrest. Police and Correctional Services Minister Vincent Tarzia on
Saturday announced the prison's private operator, Serco, had been fined
$100,000 for allowing the escape to occur. "The punishment is fitting
because we've made it very clear to Serco that any escape is completely and
utterly unacceptable," Mr Tarzia said. "We're taking this very, very
seriously." Mr Tarzia said Serco, the Department for Correctional
Services and SA Police were each conducting reviews into how the escape had
occurred. He said "remedial works" has been conducted on the
prison to prevent further escapes and he was receiving regular updates from
his department on the situation. Mr Tarzia said prisoners had not been let
back into the kitchen area since the escape. The State Opposition said the
Government was taking too long to release the findings of the department's
review. "A month later, we're still waiting for answers," Labor
correctional services spokesperson Lee Odenwalder said. "South
Australians deserve to know how this dangerous prisoner was allowed to
escape, they deserve to know why it took 25 minutes for the police to be
called, but most of all they need some assurance of why this won't happen
again." But Mr Tarzia described the criticism as "rank
hypocrisy". "During Labor's 16 years of government, we had 60
escapes from our prison system," he said. Soon after the escape,
Public Sector Association (PSA) general secretary Nev Kitchin argued that
"privately run prisons simply don't work". "We're looking at
multinational companies, we're looking at fewer staff, we're looking at
inferior training, we're looking at more assaults occurring in the private
prisons, we're looking at more contraband getting into the private prisons,
and we're looking at overall reduced safety," he said. But Mr Tarzia
said that "there is nothing before me to suggest that the staffing
level was inadequate at that particular location". Mr Burdon did not
apply for bail and will face court again in January.
Dec 2, 2020 PCWG watch Australia: Serco escape
Hunt continues for
fugitive prisoner Jason Burdon who escaped Adelaide Remand Centre
ABC Radio Adelaide
An investigation
into the escape of a prisoner from the maximum-security Adelaide Remand
Centre will examine why staff did not contact police until 25 minutes after
the incident. Prisoner Jason Burdon, 33, remains on the run after breaking
out of the facility in Adelaide's CBD on Tuesday by using clothes as a
makeshift rope. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the search had since
expanded well beyond the city. "We're also utilising all of our mobile
patrols … to participate in that search process, so we do have wide
coverage over the entire state," Commissioner Stevens said. "From
my understanding, any delay is obviously an impediment to mobilising our
resources to potentially apprehend the person as quickly as possible, so
we'll be very interested to see what the circumstances were." After
allegedly stealing an electric bike and being tracked via CCTV through the
city, Burdon was seen on cameras heading towards Port Road. Around 12:45pm,
he allegedly stole a black Toyota RAV4 in West Lakes Shore, 15 kilometres
north-west of the city, and police believe he has since changed the plates.
"The car is distinctive with silver roof racks and a camping awning on
one side," police said in a recent update. "Investigators believe
the RAV4 is now displaying stolen plates S817AYS." Minister for
Correctional Services Vincent Tarzia said it was not the first time Burdon
had escaped custody. "This individual has been evasive, he has been
slippery. We know that there was an incident in 2010 when he escaped from a
hospital at the time," he said. South Australia's Department of
Correctional Services [DCS] chief executive David Brown told ABC Radio
Adelaide that Burdon had been working in the facility's kitchen area before
he escaped. Mr Brown said kitchen operations were under the supervision of
staff from Serco — the private company which has run the remand centre
since 2019 — and said because the facility was high-security, it was also
under CCTV coverage. Whether anyone was watching the CCTV feeds at the time
of Burdon's escape was "a matter for the investigation", Mr Brown
said. He said the investigation would focus on the events leading up to
Burdon's escape, as well as the conduct of staff and operation of the
prison. Mr Brown said the alarm was raised at 10:13am, and said police were
notified at 10:20am — 25 minutes after the man escaped "at
approximately 9:55am". He said it was a "very good question"
as to why it took that length of time to notify police that someone had
escaped. "Our priority is to do a thorough investigation into the
incident, establish how the physical breach occurred," he said.
"We need to understand the supervision that was in place — the
adequacy of that supervision — leading up to that incident." Mr Brown
would not comment on whether staffing levels had dropped at the remand
centre since its privatisation, but did say the operation had "clearly
changed" from a public sector-operated prison to a facility operated
by Serco. Mr Brown conceded that
although the operations and staffing of the facility "are a
responsibility for Serco", it ultimately fell on his shoulders.
"Ultimately it's my responsibility — I'm the chief executive of the
Department for Correctional Services," he said. Serco has been
contacted for comment. Mr Tarzia today repeatedly refused to say who was
responsible for the breach, saying that was a matter for investigation.
"What we're doing is to make sure we do all we can to make sure we
know what happened, how it happened and why it happened," he said.
"DCS have been in very, very frequent meetings with Serco. "We're
not shying away from the fact that it is completely unacceptable."
Public Service Association (PSA) general secretary Nev Kitchin was critical
of the privatisation of the prison, which was announced in the 2018 State
Budget. "Privately-run prisons simply don't work," he said.
"We're looking at multi-national companies, we're looking at fewer
staff, we're looking at inferior training, we're looking at more assaults
occurring in the private prisons, we're looking at more contraband getting
into the private prisons, and we're looking at overall reduced
safety." Mr Kitchin said the PSA had "reliable information"
that there were "around 50 per cent less staff" working at the
remand centre since it was privatised. Burdon is described as being about
165 centimetres tall, with a medium build and light brown hair. Police do
not believe he is a danger to the public, but have urged anyone who spots
him to not approach, and instead contact police on 131 444 or triple zero. Opposition
Leader Peter Malinauskas was also critical of the prison's privatisation.
"We should be clear about this — the Adelaide Remand Centre is a
maximum security facility," Mr Malinauskas said. "It houses some
of our most dangerous criminals, and prisons are there to protect the
public, not deliver a profit to a private operator." Hunt continues
for fugitive prisoner Jason Burdon who escaped Adelaide Remand Centre
Ashfield Prison, Pucklechurch, UK
February 16, 2012 The Guardian
A huge increase in the use of force to restrain teenage boys at a privately
run young offender institution has been sharply criticised by the chief
inspector of prisons. Nick Hardwick says the nine-fold rise in the use of
force in the past year at the Serco-run Ashfield young offender institution
from an average of 17 times a month to 150 times a month is "extremely
high". The chief inspector has warned the private prison managers at
Ashfield, near Bristol, that force must only be used as a last resort where
there is an immediate risk to life or limb and not simply to obtain
compliance with staff instructions. But when the prison inspectors went
into Ashfield last October they found that more than 40% of the teenage
inmates had been restrained and the most frequent reason given in five out
of the six preceding months was "failure to obey staff
instructions". Penal reformers said the disclosure has "chilling
echoes" of the death of 15-year-old Gareth Myatt, who died while being
restrained at a Northamptonshire young offender institution in 2004. The
inspection report on Ashfield published on Friday also says there are
serious problems with the late delivery of offenders from court despite a
new private escort company, GeoAmey, with inmates delivered from court to
Ashfield on one recent occasion between 11pm and 3am. All new arrivals were
also strip-searched even though few items of contraband were ever found.
The inspectors say this practice should stop.
August 10, 2011 Gazette
Police were also called to Ashfield Young Offenders’ Institution in
Pucklechurch following reports of disturbances there. Prison officers dealt
with a "small scale incident of disobedience" involving several
inmates according to a statement from Serco, the company which runs the
unit. A spokesman said: "Some minor damage has been caused, but the
situation has been contained and the centre is secure," a Serco
spokesman said. Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called out at 7.49pm but
were stood down as they were not required to attend the scene.
August 20, 2009 Public Finance
Children detained in prisons and young offenders institutions are exposed
to such ‘dire conditions’ that they are living in ‘modern day dungeons’,
according to a hard-hitting report by the Howard League for Penal Reform.
The report, published on August 17, paints a picture of ‘extraordinary
squalor and institutional brutality’, with children regularly denied access
to showers, toilets and outside exercise areas. Detained children are also
often subject to strip searches by adult staff and many institutions fail
properly to undertake required assessments, plans and reviews. Frances
Crook, director of the Howard League, said: ‘We keep children smelly and
dirty, idle and frightened, bored with education and cooped up in
modern-day dungeons. And we expect them miraculously to pupate into
responsible citizens. In reality, these young people leave prison more
damaged and more dangerous than when they first went in. It is frankly
shocking that we treat children in this way in the twenty-first century.’ At
Ashfield prison in Gloucestershire, which is run by Serco, children were
routinely given bags to urinate in instead of being allowed toilets on
their journey to the prison, the report found. At Castington jail in
Northumberland, children were allowed showers only twice a week and seven
young people suffered broken wrists after being handcuffed. A Ministry of
Justice spokesman said: ‘Work is continuing on raising the quality of the
services provided and developing new initiatives that will help further ensure
positive outcomes for all the young people.’
April 13, 2009 This Is Bristol
The privately-run Ashfield Young Offenders Institution has more attacks
than any other prison in the country, according to latest figures. The
institution, near Pucklechurch, recorded more than 600 attacks on inmates
in one year – the highest number of all the UK's 142 jails. Ashfield also
had 126 assaults on prison officers, latest figures released by the
National Offender Management Service show. But Serco, the firm which runs
Ashfield, said the figures to July 2008 were high because it recorded every
incident, including minor skirmishes, while other prisons only recorded the
most serious attacks.
March 19, 2003
Premier's Ashfield "worst" prison in England and Wales.
(News). Plans to extend the role of private providers in prison
services suffered a setback this month when a PFI jail for young offenders
was described as the worst in the country. An inspection found that
conditions at Ashfield, near Bristol, were so bad that many inmates were
frightened to leave their cells. Under pressure staff relied on inmates to
act as "mini-officers" in the reception wing, and escort van
drivers were used as officers on other wings. Staff delegated
responsibility to inmate orderlies to a worrying extent that went as far as
"role reversal". Martin Narey, the director-general of the Prison
Service, described privately run Ashfield as the worst prison in England
and Wales "by some measure". But he added: "The introduction
of the private sector into the running of prisons has brought immense
benefits. My best prison is probably a private-sector prison."
Ashfield is a 44m [pounds sterling] prison holding up to 400 sentenced
young offenders aged between 15 and 21. It is run by Premier Custodial Services,
a joint venture company owned 50% by Serco Ltd and 50% by Wackenhut
Corrections (UK) Ltd, under a 25-year PFI contract. The criticism
came only days after the chancellor, Gordon Brown, said there should be
"no principled objection" to further extending the private
sector's role in prison management. The failings in Premier's operation of
Ashfield were exposed in an inspection report by Anne Owers, the chief
inspector of prisons. Describing her report as "depressing" she
found that bullying was rife and that many inmates were "afraid to
leave their cells". A spot-check revealed that nearly half of
the inmates remained in their cells during the day, and less than a quarter
were in education. Owers said a central problem was the poor quality and
low morale of staff because of the inadequate salaries paid by the
company. She also criticised the company for its unwillingness to do
anything not in the contract. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on
5 February, Narey said that Premier has lost around 2m [pounds sterling] in
revenues so far. It is the second time that Premier has been warned
over its performance at Ashfield in recent years. In December 2001, the
company was issued with an improvement notice for noncompliance with the
PFI contract. At the time it had the most reported incidents of self-harm
in the 15-17-year age group of any young offenders establishment in the
UK. Under the terms of Premier's contract--and normal under PFI deals
in the prison sector--the banks that financed the prison's construction
decide whether they choose another private operator or allow the public
sector to take over. Local Northavon MP Steve Webb (Liberal Democrat)
said the private sector had failed to deliver on even the most basic
aspects of the contract. "It is time that the Prison Service took the
management of Ashfield back under its control," he said.
February 5, 2003
The reputation of the private sector as a manager of prisons suffered a
blow yesterday when the government's Youth Justice Board announced it was
withdrawing all sentenced juveniles from the first privately run young
offenders' institution. The board
announced its phased withdrawal of 172 young offenders after the chief
inspector of prisons published a scathing report on conditions at the
Ashfield young offenders' institution near Bristol . Anne Owers said Premier Prison Services,
Ashfield's operator, failed to provide "the minimum requirements of a
safe environment". Describing
her report as "probably the most depressing" she has issued in
the 18 months she has been in post, Ms Owers found that bullying was not
addressed and that many young people were "afraid to leave their
cells". A spot-check during her inspection revealed that nearly half
of the young inmates remained in their cells during the core day, and less
than a quarter were in education.
There was no effective resettlement strategy. Ms Owers said one of the main underlying
problems at Ashfield was the poor quality and low morale of staff because
of inadequate salaries paid by the operator. Some officers at Ashfield had not
undergone an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check, which is meant to
provide better protection against pedophiles. The Prison Officers' Association, which
has always been opposed to privatisation, called for Ashfield to be taken
immediately into public ownership.
Brian Caton, the union's general secretary, said Ashfield provided
evidence of the "immorality of running private prisons with the
emphasis on making profit rather than running a good service on behalf of
society". Juliet Lyon, director
of the Prison Reform Trust, said the "utterly damning report"
raised questions as to why the Prison Service had allowed such a situation
to develop in the first place. (Social Affairs Correspondent)
Auckland
Central Remand Prison
September 19, 2012 Radio New
Zealand News
A first-year report card for the Mt Eden private prison has shown it
continues to fall well short on several performance measures. British firm
Serco has a $300 million contract with the Government to run the Auckland
jail for at least six years. A report for the year to July shows only 42%
of Serco's prisoners had a management plan in place, when 90% or more is
the benchmark. The company only did a six-month review of those prisoner
plans in 60% of cases, when 98% was the target. Just 52% of prisoners were
released as per their release plan, when the required level was 98%, and
Serco only followed its incident notification process three-quarters of the
time. For its part, Serco says it is returning the lowest positive drug
test rates of any prison in New Zealand, as well as maintaining low levels
of self-harm and serious assaults. Results for the month of August show
Serco is meeting 34 of its 37 performance targets, and achieving above 90%
compliance with its contract. Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says it is
an extremely tough contract, but Serco is making good progress and expects
that to continue.
Auckland South Corrections Facility
Jun 24, 2016 odt.co.nz
Violent man freed after Serco blunder
A man facing a serious violence charge was mistakenly released from a
Serco-run prison, the Weekend Herald has learned. The embattled private prison
operator, which last year lost its contract to run Auckland's Mt Eden
prison, has now been penalised more than $19,000 for the wrongful release.
Joshua Calthorpe had been due to finish a prison sentence at Auckland South
Corrections Facility in Wiri in April. But he was still to be dealt with on
charges of aggravated robbery, blackmail and obtaining by deception, and
should have been transferred from Auckland South Corrections Facility -
operated by Serco - to a remand cell until that offending was dealt with.
Instead he was released and spent two weeks at large before police returned
him to custody, a source told the Weekend Herald. Calthorpe was yesterday
sentenced to almost six years behind bars for the aggravated robbery and
blackmail charges, and will also serve a shorter sentence concurrently for
the obtaining by deception charges. He has previously spent time on the run
from police in 2012 and last year, after failing to appear in court. A
Serco New Zealand spokeswoman confirmed yesterday a prisoner had been
"wrongly released" in April. "He had completed his sentence,
but faced new charges and should have been detained on remand. We alerted
the police as soon as the error became known and he was subsequently
returned to custody." The spokeswoman said ensuring public safety was
Serco's first priority. "We undertook a review of the event, to
identify how it occurred and prevent such an incident occurring
again." Justice Minister Judith Collins said Calthorpe's release was
"not acceptable". She said Corrections had penalised SecureFuture
- the consortium that owns the Serco-run Wiri prison - $19,581.59 for the
wrongful release. Labour's Corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis said Serco
needed to "get its act together".
BBC
May 23, 2010 The Daily Telegraph
Under the scheme, the publicly-funded broadcaster handed over footage to
inmates who earn just £30 a week rather than members of its own 23,000
staff. Convicts at a privately run Category B jail, the second-highest
security level, transferred tapes of old television shows to computer to
save them for posterity. Senior staff in the BBC’s archives department
visited the jail to watch the work in progress while meetings were held to
discuss a landmark deal for the prisoners to digitise all 1million hours of
programmes in its vaults. Fearful about the controversy the scheme could
cause, the BBC never discussed it publicly and even the broadcasting union,
Bectu, was unaware of it. Details were obtained by this newspaper through a
Freedom of Information request that took more than four months rather than
the usual 20 working days. The BBC insists that it has not given any money
to Serco, the private jail operator, for the secret scheme nor signed any
contracts, following the pilot project last year. However emails disclosed
by the corporation show that it had shown considerable interest in the
innovative project proposed by Serco, which runs four prisons in England.
The BBC owns more than 1m hours of historic content, some of it decades old
and at risk of being lost. It employs 66 people to look after it, at a cost
of £5m a year, in its Information and Archives department. The corporation
estimates it would take 10 years to safely copy all 100m items in its
collection into longer-lasting digital formats. In December 2008 it was
approached by Serco to become involved in Artemis – Achieving
Rehabilitation Through Establishing a Media Ingest Service – a new project
for prisoners to transfer archive documents to computers. Serco said it
would provide “high-quality employment” and the chance of an NVQ
qualification for inmates and HMP Lowdham Grange, a 628-capacity jail near
Nottingham all of whose inmates are serving at least four years. The firm
said this would mean it could provide a “stable work force”. The BBC was told
it would prove a “very cost-effective” way of digitising its archive, and
several meetings were organised to discuss plans. Managers agreed to hand
over 20 hours of old videos, including episodes of Horizon and Earth Story,
so prisoners could transfer them to computer and also add “meta-data” –
typed detailed descriptions of the footage to help producers search through
it more easily. The British Library and National Archives also provided
material for the pilot project. In September last year, five members of BBC
staff visited the jail, where a production workshop had been built, and
were reported to be “pleased” with what they saw of the prisoners’ work and
enthusiasm. However David Crocker, the driving force behind the scheme at
Serco, admitted: “The major concern was around the potential negative
newspaper headlines that the BBC may attract.” The company did discuss the
scheme with one newspaper and one trade magazine but made no reference to
the BBC’s involvement. In November, Mr Crocker told the BBC: “I can’t thank
you enough for finding a project for us to kick-start Artemis.” He said his
staff were drawing up “terms of reference” and would then “cost the
project” of a full-scale digitisation of the BBC’s archive. However no
deals have yet been signed. The BBC said: “The BBC did hold discussions
with Serco about their planned project to digitise archives. As part of
this the BBC, alongside other organisations, provided some material for
Serco to use as part of its feasibility study for the project. “No payment
was made to Serco as part of this, nor was any guarantee or promise of work
entered into. “The BBC has no plans to work with Serco to digitise its
programme archive and has not come to any agreements nor signed any
contracts with any firms about utilising the prison workforce on any
project.”
Borallon
Correctional Centre, Queensland, Australia
August 15, 2011 9 News
Queensland's opposition has asked the auditor-general to review the
state government's handling of a jail tender it has described as
"dodgy". The government announced last month it would temporarily
mothball Borallon prison in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, and transfer inmates
to a new prison near Gatton due to be opened next year. Meanwhile, the
federal government has confirmed plans to convert the jail into immigration
accommodation, however no final decision has yet been made. Security
company Serco, which manages Borallon jail, has been awarded the contract
to operate the new jail, Southern Queensland Correctional Centre at Spring
Creek. The Liberal National Party (LNP) has labelled this a "dodgy
deal". LNP corrective services spokesman John-Paul Langbroek said the
party had referred the matter to the auditor-general. The auditor-general's
office has confirmed it received the LNP's request but as of Monday
morning, it was yet to view the details. Mr Langbroek argues the government
did not conduct a proper tendering process. "The way this secret deal
between Serco, who currently run the prison at Borallon, and the state
government has been handled raises many questions," he said.
"Under the normal tendering for service process, the contract for
service delivery at the new Gatton prison should have been advertised and
put to the market to ensure the best value for money was achieved.
"This matter deserves due consideration and that's why I have written
to the auditor-general seeking advice on whether this deal is in fact legal
and meets the state government's own rules and guidelines."
Broadmeadows
Youth Detention Center,
Australia
July 26, 2011 The Age
THREE teenage asylum seekers stitched their lips together at Broadmeadows
youth detention centre this weekend, posting the photos on Facebook in a
plea for help. Refugee Action Collective volunteer Daniella Olea, who has
previously visited the teenagers, said they were aged between 16 and 18 and
arrived alone from Kuwait, Iran and Iraq. They have been detained for about
a year. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced in October that he
intended to release all children from detention centres by June, but Ms
Olea said about 50 teenagers under the age of 18 were still at
Broadmeadows. Ms Olea, who has not been allowed to visit the boys recently,
said they stitched their lips shut on Sunday afternoon. She said the youths
were desperate. ''Some of them haven't heard from their case managers for
months.'' A wall has been built at the centre, she said, so it was no
longer possible to see greenery from its outdoor area. ''Before you could
see the trees. Now they have just boarded all that up.'' The Department of
Immigration confirmed the self-harm and said operator Serco had provided
psychological support.
Christmas
Island Detention Center,
Christmas Island
Companies
Use Immigration Crackdown to Turn a Profit: Expose on
immigration by Nina Bernstein at the New York Times, September 28,
2011
Jul 18, 2017 dailymail.co.uk
Australia: Serco guard smoking ice with detainees
A guard at the Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre has been
sacked after being caught smoking ice with detainees in their cell and
smuggling contraband. He was caught after the detainees set up the meeting
to prove corruption at private prison operator Serco, which is funded by
taxpayers. The guard was part of a network that smuggled mobile phones into
the facility via the post, and traded them with asylum seekers for cash and
illicit drugs. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has said guards involved
in illegal behaviour could face criminal charges, A Current Affair
reported. An Iranian-born man who was detained at the facility before being
granted refugee status said guards and detainees were regularly involved in
criminal activity. 'The inmates transferred money to the officers' accounts
and then they brought money and drugs inside the camp, there was corruption
in there,' he said. The former detainee said the use of illegal drugs
crystal meth and marijuana was commonplace at the facility. In an incident
believed to have taken place last Boxing Day, the disgraced officer
smuggled vodka in for a group of detainees marked for deportation having a
New Year's Eve party. The detainee who masterminded the meeting that led to
the sacking claimed to have smuggled mobile phones into the facility hidden
in gifts sent in the post. He is believed to been transferred to Sydney's
Villawood detention centre. Mr Dutton said the Australian Commission for
Law Enforcement Integrity is now investigating detention centre guards.
'Absolutely this investigation will continue and it will root out anybody
who is involved in illegal behaviour,' Mr Dutton said. 'There will be
serious consequences, including criminal charges being preferred [and]
people being sacked from their current jobs.'
Nov
9, 2015 tvnz.co.nz
A Kiwi being held at the Christmas Island detention centre says
"there are fires everywhere" and "no security", after
riots erupted following the death of a detainee.
Speaking
to ONE News this morning, Ricky Downs said guards have abandoned the
centre.
"There
are fires everywhere, holes in the wall and the canteen has been smashed to
pieces," he said. "There's not security, there's no response
team, there's not border control, no guards. They've freaked out and
left." New Zealand nationals detained on Christmas Island's detention
centre are being blamed for a riot which broke out at the centre this
morning. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said there are 40 New Zealanders
reportedly on Christmas Island. Christmas Island detention centre riot is
‘going off’. Guards have reportedly abandoned the controversial centre
following mass riots. Guards have reportedly abandoned the controversial
centre following mass riots. A detainee speaking to SBS made the
accusations this morning claiming the rioters were mainly Kiwis and they
had left the centre looking like a "disaster zone". The man, who
wasn't named in the article, alleged guards from the private prison
operator Serco had abandoned the centre. The medical centre had been
destroyed along with the canteen and some offices, the man said. "The
place is a disaster zone," he said. "People are destroying
everything that can be destroyed." Australia's Department of
Immigration and Border Protection has confirmed a "disturbance"
happened at the Christmas Island detention centre. The Department wouldn't
go into details about how the disturbance began or if detainees have
sparked a riot at the detention centre as reported this morning. Earlier
today, a woman close to a detainee said the riots began after prisoners
learned of the death of a refugee who escaped the detention centre two days
ago. The Kurdish-Iranian man in his 30s was found in bush land yesterday.
‘They freaked out and left’ – Christmas Island guards reportedly abandon
detention centre 00:20 Kiwi detainee on Christmas Island Ricky Downs says a
mass riot has broken out at the centre. Kiwi detainee on Christmas Island
Ricky Downs says a mass riot has broken out at the centre. Source: ONE News
ONE News also spoke with Labour MP Kelvin Davis this morning who says the
island prison is in chaos. Kelvin Davis@NgatiBird Just got off the phone to
detainees. They're scared they'll be shot. #freethe501s Christmas Island:
"The guards have disappeared. We can't see them." The calm before
the storm? #freethe501s Mr Davis says from what he is hearing, when
prisoners questioned the death of an inmate who tried to escape the
facility, one person was punched in the face by a guard sparking the riot.
The Department says "its service providers are working together to
resolve the situation". They say no injures have been
reported and won't give any further comment on the situation.
Jul
13, 2014 The Sidney Morning Herald
A
woman who is in hospital on Christmas Island after attempting suicide was
returned to the offshore detention centre against the advice of
mental-health professionals after being transferred for treatment in
Australia. It's widespread and it's getting worse. Fairfax Media has been told
the women was transferred to Perth earlier this year but discharged from
hospital and returned to detention before being sent back to Christmas
Island against the advice. It is believed the woman, who is not a mother,
tried to take her own life this week and remains in Christmas Island
hospital. Sources have told Fairfax Media there were several asylum seekers
who continue to be held on Christmas Island despite advice that they be
transferred to Australia for treatment for mental illnesses. ''This is not
manipulation [of the system],'' a source said. ''It's widespread and it's
getting worse.'' It comes as Christmas Island shire president Gordon
Thompson said the number of women on suicide watch had increased from 11 on
Wednesday, to 14 on Thursday. ''They are [on] constant watch,'' he said.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison this week denied Fairfax Media reports
that up to nine women had attempted suicide, saying multiple suicide
attempts by women on Christmas Island were ''not correct''. Mr Morrison has
refused to provide information on self harm in detention, citing
''government commentary on such issues takes into account privacy and the
impact public commentary may have in encouraging such behaviour''. On
Wednesday, Fairfax Media obtained advice from the Department of Immigration
showing that, following a meeting on Christmas Island this week, there were
''seven individuals who made threats of self harm, four have actually
self-harmed and one woman attempted suicide''. But an International Health
and Medical Service employee said the categories of ''self harm and
''attempted suicide'' were often hard to differentiate. ''A self harm could
be a suicide attempt,'' the worker said. The Royal Australian and New
Zealand College of Psychiatrists said it was ''concerned but not
surprised'' to hear of reports that women on Christmas Island were harming
themselves. ''The college is extremely concerned that people are finding
themselves in such a desperate situation that they are considering such
measures as attempting suicide,'' said the president, Dr Murray Patton. The
government's leader in the Senate, Eric Abetz, described the incidents on
Monday night as ''minor self harm''. But Greens Senator and immigration
spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said that response was ''callous and
insincere''. ''Suicide attempts are not 'minor incidents' as so ignorantly
described by the Abbott government,'' she said. ''The Department of
Immigration's own contract with Serco defines attempted serious self harm
as a critical incident.''
The
Sidney Morning Herald, November 16,
2013
Staff
at Australia's immigration detention centres have undergone retraining
after a worker was sacked for having a sexual relationship with a detainee.
Managers of the Christmas Island centre, British-owned company Serco, have
confirmed that a male employee was dismissed in October following an
investigation. ''We take a zero tolerance approach to inappropriate
relationships and any sexual contact is completely unacceptable,'' Serco
spokesman Paul Shaw said in a statement. The matter has been reported to
police and the Immigration Department. A spokesman for Immigration Minister
Scott Morrison told ABC TV the conduct was ''appalling and completely
unacceptable'' and that the department would seek further information from
Serco. The company has also revealed that three other Christmas Island
staff, members of an emergency response team, have been reassigned after
breaking protocol by drinking alcohol. ''During the periods when they are
not at work but on-call, they must remain ready for duty at all times,'' Mr
Shaw said of the stringent physical requirements demanded of team
members. ''This means that they are not permitted to consume any
alcohol.'' News of dissent among staff at the Christmas Island facility
comes as the Australian government faces criticism for operations in its
detention centre network, including the separation of an asylum-seeker
woman and her newborn baby. Refugee advocate Pamela Curr was quick to speak
out against the latest misconduct. ''A sexual relationship between a guard
and a detainee is like a relationship between a student and a teacher,
between a doctor and a patient. The power relationship is such an imbalance
it can never be acceptable, it is exploitative,'' she told the ABC. Serco
said it had addressed the problems. ''After our investigation concluded in
this matter, we held formal refresher training sessions for our staff
across the immigration detention network, reinforcing the importance of
professional boundaries and respect for the people in our care,'' Mr Shaw
said.
December 12, 2011 The
Daily Telegraph
RIOTING asylum seekers have caused almost $20 million in damage to
immigration detention centres - nearly double original estimates. New
Department of Immigration figures show five riots at Villawood in Sydney,
Christmas Island and Darwin have cost an estimated $17.6 million - and that
could rise. The most damage was caused at Villawood with the repair bill
reaching $9.271 million. While insurance will cover much of the costs, the
government revealed it would be liable for the first $1 million of each
claim, or 10 per cent of the total bill. According to documents released
last Friday night, the cost of the Christmas Island riot in March is now
estimated at $5.05 million - double the original figure of $2.5 million.
The government claimed the subsequent riots at Villawood, when inmates set
fire to several buildings a month later, will cost 50 per cent more than
the $6 million originally estimated. There were two riots also at Darwin
and another at Christmas Island. "The total cost of estimated damage
across all five events as of October 14, 2011, is $17,636,366," the
department said. "This estimate is likely to change as quotations for
repairs are obtained and works undertaken." The revised costs follow
the release of an independent report last week which suggested overcrowding
was the cause of the tension and unrest and the trigger for the riots. But,
it found no fault with the Department of Immigration or the detention
centre operator, Serco. A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen
said, "This government's contracts with Serco require it to have full
private insurance cover of its facilities, which is why the costs to the
Commonwealth relating to damage caused at detention centres are so low.
"In its hypocritical hysteria, the Coalition seems to have forgotten
its record of passing on the costs of detention riots to the taxpayer: they
had four detention centre riots in a single month - December 2002 - at a
cost of many millions."
November 30, 2011 ABC
The head of the company which runs Australia's detention centres has
admitted that administration staff were told to act as security during the
Christmas Island riots. Serco's chief executive officer David Campbell has
been answering questions before a parliamentary committee in Perth. It is
looking into Serco being awarded a multi-billion dollar contract to provide
services at the city's new Fiona Stanley Hospital. Mr Campbell told the
committee that administration staff formed a perimeter during the Christmas
Island riots. He said they were told to act as observers. Outside the
hearing, the union United Voice said Serco's administrative staff were
dressed in the blue polo t-shirts normally worn by security guards and were
put on the front lines. The union's Dave Kelly says staff were poorly
treated. "That they dressed administrative staff up as security guards
and put them on the front lines, I find that absolutely amazing," he
said.
November 30, 2011 The
Age
THE Immigration Department was warned severe overcrowding at the detention
centre on Christmas Island would cause a serious incident five months
before riots broke out there. That is the finding of an independent inquiry
into the Christmas Island and Villawood riots, by former public servants
Allan Hawke and Helen Williams. Released yesterday, the report said the
failure of the department to brief Immigration Minister Chris Bowen on the
warning until March 2011 was ''highly regrettable''. The report has
described conditions on Christmas Island before the riots as ''severely
compromised'' - with failing sewerage systems, a ''precarious'' supply of
water and access to toilets and education under stress. Detainee numbers
had leapt to 2530 on the island. Knowledge Consulting warned in October
2010 that safety was compromised, accommodation was unsuitable and
detainees had no meaningful activities. A freeze on processing Sri Lankan
and Afghan asylum claims a year earlier caused a backlog and ''significant
impact on the detention network''. The inquiry found that adding to this
explosive mix was an influx of middle-class Iranian asylum seekers ''who
had higher expectations of service and lower tolerance for any perceived
slowness in processing or inconsistency in decision-making or failure to
achieve a positive result''. Riots on Christmas Island, sparked on March
11, caused $2.5 million in damages, while riots at Villawood in Sydney a
month later cost $6 million. Serco, the private company that runs the
detention network, was warned of the planned mass escape and riot on
Christmas Island four days earlier, but a teleconference with the
Immigration Department in Canberra dismissed an informant's warning. The
report blamed both riots in part on the detention network's inability to manage
a core group of angry asylum seekers who had been rejected. It said 80 of
the 100 detainees identified as taking part in the Christmas Island riot
had received initial rejections and were waiting for a review. Thirteen of
the 19 charged had been rejected as refugees at the first interview. Of the
nine detainees charged over the Villawood riot, all had received a negative
primary decision. The report called for the contract with Serco to be
revised to improve security and co-ordination with police.
September 16, 2011
The Australian
FIREFIGHTERS have repeatedly raised concerns with the government on their
capacity to respond to emergencies at Christmas Island. The Australian
understands concerns were expressed with the Department of Immigration and
Citizenship about the ability of volunteer firefighters to enter violent
and uncontrolled situations inside the centre. The concerns are understood
to have been raised at least once before violent riots in March. Yesterday,
a departmental spokesman rejected the suggestion concerns had been ignored.
He said detention centre operator Serco was required to have appropriate
contingency arrangements to deal with a range of scenarios, including
fires. "Serco works with local emergency services in developing these
arrangements, which are continually reviewed to address any concerns which
may be raised," the spokesman said. The fire brigade, along with the
island's ambulance service, relies solely on volunteers and was on standby
over many nights during the riots, in which detainees set parts of
compounds on fire. Problems with the capacity of Christmas Island's
emergency services to cope with increasing demand - due to the detention
centre and associated influx of workers - are expected to be highlighted in
an upcoming socio-economic report on the impact of detention on the island.
The report's draft findings were detailed to community members at a meeting
last week, where it was revealed there were serious concerns about the
capacity of the fire and ambulance services. Locals interviewed for the
report also spoke of high levels of exhaustion among volunteers. The
co-ordinator of the island's ambulance service, volunteer Barbara Copeland,
said call-outs had increased from five for the whole of 2007 to 50 so far
this year. She said 95 per cent of call-outs this year were related to the
island's detention compounds and included responding to self-harm incidents
and evacuations to the hospital or Perth. Ms Copeland said the island's
transient nature made it difficult to maintain adequate numbers of
volunteer workers. The SIEV-221 boat wreck last December, in which 50
asylum-seekers died, had led some volunteers to walk away because of
burn-out.
September 7, 2011 ABC
A parliamentary committee has heard many of the Christmas Island detention
centre staff have not had the necessary training to deal with detainees'
high rates of self harm and attempted suicide. The committee, which is
assessing the impact of mandatory detention, spent two days inspecting the
facilities and talking to workers there. The committee's deputy chair,
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says because of the island's remoteness
and the stressful nature of the work, it is difficult to recruit staff with
the mental health skills needed. "Many of the workers in the centres
are getting on the job training yet they are dealing with very vulnerable
people," she said. "We had one man attempt to hang himself while
we were visiting the facility and of course that happens to be a daily
occurrence." The committee will tour the Curtin detention centre in
Western Australia's far north near Derby, today. The joint select committee
is visiting detention centres across Australia, assessing a range of issues
relating to the cost, impact and effectiveness of mandatory detention. The
group will also look at the role of government agencies and private
contractors within the detention network, before making their
recommendations to parliament. They are expected to hold talks with local
hospital staff and workers from Serco which operates the Curtin facility.
September 6, 2011 The
Australian
THE refugee lawyer who helped extract a multi-million-dollar payout for
Cornelia Rau from the Howard government is preparing multiple civil
lawsuits on behalf of asylum-seekers who claim they were assaulted and
drugged on Christmas Island during mass escapes and rioting in March.
George Newhouse will also ask West Australian police to investigate alleged
assaults, sedations and wrongful detention of boatpeople as far back as
July 2009 when Labor awarded a five-year contract to security firm Serco.
Mr Newhouse told The Australian he was acting for detainees who had been
isolated at Christmas Island's high-security "behaviour management
unit" called Red Block, had their possessions taken from them and who
believed sedatives had been put in their food without their knowledge.
"I have been approached by a number of former detainees from Christmas
Island who say that they were sedated without their consent and we are
putting together a brief for the West Australian police," he said. Mr
Newhouse intends to advertise in the Arabic and Farsi press for other
detainees to come forward. The advertisement, entitled "A Message to
All Former Immigration Detainees", states in part: "If you were assaulted,
had your possessions taken from you, sedated without your consent and/or
moved into restrictive custody, you may be entitled to pursue your legal
rights and entitlements." The push comes six years after Ms Rau, an
Australian resident, won a payout reported to be $2.6 million over her
wrongful detention at Baxter detention centre. The treatment of Ms Rau, a
psychiatric patient, sparked a government inquiry into the possible
wrongful detention of more than 200 people. Mr Newhouse worked on that case
and said yesterday he still had serious concerns about the use of force on
immigration detainees, who were "obviously seriously mentally
unwell". He said he regarded any sedation of anyone without their
knowledge or consent as an assault. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship
was not aware of any instance of detainees being sedated without their
knowledge or consent. "The department requires medical intervention to
occur with the person's consent within immigration detention facilities at
all times. This includes sedation," a spokesman said. The Australian
has been told at least two detainees allege they were assaulted and sedated
on Christmas Island between March 13 and March 17 after being deemed
ringleaders.
August 17, 2011 The
Age
THE full extent of despair and unrest in Australia's immigration detention
centres has been exposed, with documents showing 1507 detainees were
hospitalised in the first six months of this year, including 72 psychiatric
hospital admissions, and 213 treated for self-inflicted injuries. The documents,
released to a parliamentary committee by the Department of Immigration,
also show more than 700 detainees were treated for ''voluntary
starvation''. And it emerged that police had been notified 264 times of
possible criminal behaviour in detention centres. The figures were released
as Australia's top immigration bureaucrat last night urged MPs to rethink
mandatory detention of asylum seekers and asked whether the hardline policy
actually deterred boat arrivals. In an extraordinary opening address to the
inquiry last night, Andrew Metcalfe, secretary of the Department of
Immigration and Citizenship, urged a more flexible approach. The inquiry
was instigated by the opposition and Greens, and has begun to lift the veil
on the secretive private contractor, Serco, that runs Australia's detention
centres. Hundreds of pages of data supplied to the inquiry by the
department include the time and nature of every recorded incident inside
the nation's 19 detention centres. However, Serco is refusing to state how
many staff it employs at each centre, claiming this is sensitive. The
department told last night's hearing that Serco was not required under its
contract to meet any staff-to-detainee ratios. Mr Metcalfe said Serco was
refusing to disclose its staffing ratios because it was concerned detainees
would find out. Last night's hearing was also told that Serco had been
fined every month in 2010-11 for failing to meet contract goals. Serco has
reported 871 instances of inappropriate behaviour towards its staff, and
700 instances of inappropriate behaviour between detainees. There have been
five substantiated complaints against staff - but no resulting dismissals.
In June alone, there were 135 critical incidents across the network,
covering multiple serious injuries, assaults, two escapes and self-harm.
Christmas Island is particularly plagued by suicide attempts. There were
620 self-harm incidents there in the year to June, including 193 actual
acts, 31 serious attempts and 476 threatened acts. The island's four detention
centres were over capacity on 27 occasions. Hunger strikes were reported at
most centres, and at least 17 cases of children starving themselves were
noted in the past year. The surge in incidents began in mid-2010,
coinciding with a rise in boat arrivals. Opposition immigration spokesman
Scott Morrison said the data revealed the detention system had collapsed,
with the government sitting ''in policy denial'' while centres filled.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson Young said she wanted more details, including
the daily cost of operating the network. Mr Metcalfe said rising unrest,
self-harm and suicide were unfortunate and sad, but ''defy simple
solutions''.
July 28, 2011 Big
Pond News
An inquiry into the mental health of those in Aust's immigration detention
centres has begun. The commonwealth ombudsman has launched an inquiry into
suicide and self-harm in Australia's immigration detention centres. Allan
Asher witnessed the deteriorating mental health of asylum seekers when he
visited Christmas Island in June. In the week the ombudsman visited the
detention centre there were more than 30 incidents of self-harm by
detainees there. "This reflects an upsurge in the number of incidents
of self-harm and attempted suicide reported to IHMS (International Health
and Medical Services) across all immigration detention facilities," Mr
Asher said on Thursday. "My investigation will assess the extent of
this tragic problem." It would examine the root causes, and consider
practical steps that the department and its service providers Serco and
IHMS should take to identify and manage those at risk of suicide and
self-harm. Mr Asher wants the investigation to give evidence-based,
expert-endorsed advice on guidelines and protocols for reducing the number
of suicide and self-harm incidents. The ombudsman hopes to release the
results of his inquiry by the end of 2011.
July 22, 2011 The
West Australian
EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE FROM THE ONLY NEWS TEAM ON THE GROUND: Asylum seekers
detained on Christmas Island began rioting for the third night last night,
only hours after Australian Federal Police reinforcements arrived, and amid
increasing speculation the Federal Government has finalised an asylum swap
deal with Malaysia. Fires were burning within the North West Point centre,
including one on the roof of a building. Detainees could be clearly heard
yelling in unison, but their words were indecipherable and many men could
be seen pacing around the centre. A detainee from inside the centre told
The West Australian that the men at the heart of the protest had raided the
Green Two compound and put bags and plastic chairs on the roof and set fire
to them. He said small fires had been lit inside parts of the centre. It is
understood that Serco officers who worked yesterday's day shift were held back
last night to help quell the protests. The Government is expected to
announce a deal with Malaysia as early as Monday. Under a deal announced by
Prime Minister Julia Gillard in May, Malaysia will take up to 800 asylum
seekers arriving by boat, in return for Australia accepting 4000 processed
refugees. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said today the Malaysia agreement
was a bad deal. "I don't think it's going to stop the boats," Mr
Abbott told the Nine Network. "It's now two-and-a-half months since
the so-called Malaysia deal was announced and I think in that time we have
had 10 boats and more than 500 people arrive." Immigration Minister
Chris Bowen said yesterday the violence at the island's detention centre
was inappropriate after 20 to 40 detainees caused major damage. He said
mattresses and a temporary building were torched before Federal police
moved in to quell the riots using tear gas and bean bag bullets. "This
is way out of line," Mr Bowen said. He said rioters achieved nothing
except risking jail. An Iraqi detainee in his late 40s described by phone
yesterday his fear during the riots as asylum seekers vented anger at
delays in getting visas. He said he had been in detention on the island
more than a year and though not in the riots, he understood why some chose
violent protests. A department spokeswoman said applications were assessed
case by case and some took longer because they were more complex.
July 22, 2011 Australian
ASYLUM seekers at Christmas Island's detention centre lit fires and
destroyed property for the third evening in a row last night. Tensions
boiled over about 8.30pm local time, with estimates around 100 detainees
were involved in the destruction. A mattress was reportedly set alight on
the roof of one of the compounds and bins were also set on fire. The
island's local fire brigade was called along with Australian Federal Police
officers. The AFP fired tear gas and bean bag bullets inside the detention
centre during protests on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Last night a
detainee from inside the centre told The Australian Online, "The
situation here is very bad.'' "There's no security, it's not safe.
Many people make trouble, make doors smash,'' the man who did not want to
be named said. "At night the policemen have tear gas.'' The stateless
asylum seeker said around 600 men had had their claims for asylum rejected
and this had created frustration. "They have been here a long time and
got rejected without reason ... They can't stay in detention like animals
waiting, waiting with no justice.'' He said he wanted Australians to
examine the reasons why the detainees were rioting and not simply ask who
had participated. A spokesman from the Department of Immigration and
Citizenship confirmed last night that "a few small fires'' had been
lit. "The department can confirm that there is an incident underway,''
he said. "Our focus currently and that of the detention centre
services provider is on doing what we can to bring the situation under
control with the assistance of the AFP and local fire service,'' he said.
The recent protests have seen detention centre "guards'' with just
weeks of training being called upon to handcuff Christmas Island's most
volatile detainees and fit them with soft helmets before locking them in
isolation cells known as Red Block.
July 13, 2011 The
Australian
THE company running Australia's immigration detention centres is incurring
unsustainable fines from the Department of Immigration for breaches of its
$712 million contract, according to a leaked email from Serco's senior
operations manager at the Christmas Island detention centre. An escape on
July 1 -- about three months after Australian Federal Police were sent to
bolster the security at the centre and insist that electric perimeter
fences be switched on -- is the latest in a string of breaches that will
cost Serco dearly. The company last week appointed a full-time security
manager to prevent further escapes. Guards are now stationed on the
perimeter of the centre under beach umbrellas on 12-hour shifts, complaining
it is too hot and that shade falls on the other side of the fence for
several hours each day. Serco's senior operations manager for the detention
centre, Steve Southgate, addressed colleagues about continued breaches in
an email last Monday. "We can no longer remain where we are," he
said. "We are getting fined for things that should have been
completed. We are getting fined for not paying attention to the detail. We
are getting fined for not doing what we have said we will do. We need to
change our culture to a proactive culture and get ourselves out of this
reactive blame culture." Mr Southgate arrived on the island after mass
breakouts, unrest and rioting in March that led to the AFP taking over the
centre temporarily. Those incidents are likely to have resulted in
substantial fines -- called abatements -- for Serco, though the firm's
contract stipulates that fines are capped at 5 per cent of whatever the
company gets paid that month for running the centre where the breaches
occurred. The 5 per cent cap does not apply if the breaches are deemed
"significant or continuous".
June 24, 2011 The
West Australian
Security guards patrolling the Christmas Island detention centre are
routinely given a knife specifically designed to cut down detainees who
have tried to hang themselves. In a rare insight into the conditions
security officers face on a daily basis, a former security guard at the
centre told The West Australian his colleagues were turning to alcohol to
block out the emotional turmoil of caring for detainees on the island. The
guard said during induction he was introduced to the "Hoffman"
knife and told: "Before a month is out, at least four of you guards
are going to have to use this knife to cut someone down." "That
just freaked me out. I went from being a run of the mill security guard to
doing this," he said. He said that was one of the many reasons he had
quit his job with MSS Security, despite being paid $120,000 a year. He said
his departure from the island was also fuelled by "disgusting"
accommodation, long shifts, a lack of training and racism some guards
displayed towards detainees. Guards were drinking a lot of cheap alcohol to
deal with the stress, with many calling in sick when "they hit the
wall," he said. Christmas Island Workers Union secretary Kaye Bernard
confirmed each guard was required to clip a Hoffman knife to their belt but
said there were often not enough to go around. She said one guard had
broken down in tears when he told her about having to cut down a detainee
who tried to hang himself. A Serco spokesman said all staff in key
accommodation areas at detention centres across the country would have
access to a rescue knife, basic first aid equipment and a radio. The guard
was also upset his complaints to Serco, DIAC and MSS, about a another guard
being racist towards refugees, had not been acted upon. But the Serco
spokesman said an investigation found nothing to substantiate claims of
racism.
June 10, 2011 The
Age
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says calm has been restored at the Christmas
Island Detention Centre and only two asylum seekers are persisting with a
rooftop protest following an evening of riots on the island. Australian
Federal Police officers used bean-bag bullets and capsicum spray were
called in to quell a riot among 100 detainees last night. The federal
police have confirmed the force was deployed at the North West Point
detention centre after detainees began throwing projectiles at police and
security guards. A federal police spokeswoman said the detainees had armed
themselves with metal poles fashioned from sporting equipment and concrete.
"During negotiations, some of the protesters began throwing
projectiles at police and security guards. The AFP deployed less than
lethal munitions, including chemical munitions, a bean-bag round and
distraction devices, to restore order," the spokeswoman said. Police
were called to the detention centre by the Immigration Department and Serco
at 11pm yesterday. An Immigration Department spokeswoman said the
disturbance involved two compounds of the facility, and did not involve all
detainees at the centre.
June 3, 2011 The
Daily Telegraph
A SAFETY order was issued to the federal government less than three weeks
before riots broke out at the Villawood detention centre, warning that sections
of the facility posed a serious safety and security risk. The Improvement
Notice issued by Comcare, and tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, also
warned the detention centre at the time could not cope with transfers of
potentially violent asylum seekers from Christmas Island. It said Villawood
had a "lower level" of health and safety and security. It also
discovered broken and missing security cameras and found Serco staff did
not have proper training to deal with asylum seekers. "There are
likely to be significant risk to health and safety associated with the
relocation of the Christmas Island detainees to the Villawood IDF,"
the April 1 report warned. The release of the report came as parliament
yesterday voted to begin a joint inquiry into mandatory detention and the
Villawood and Christmas Island riots. The Comcare document raised concerns
specifically about the transfer of 10 asylum seekers involved in Christmas
Island riots to Villawood. But the government claimed that none of the
detainees involved in the Christmas Island riots was involved in the riot
at Villawood. Those transferred to Villawood were under lock and key at the
western Sydney facility's high security Blaxland compound when the riot
broke out in a neighbouring compound. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's
spokesman last night confirmed the Minister was aware of the issues raised
by Comcare at the time. "The government only approved the transfer of
the clients from Christmas Island after evidence was provided to Comcare
that appropriate risk management measures were in place," he said.
"These were in place by the allotted deadline, before the transfer
occurred and well before the incidents at Villawood." Comcare had
ordered the department to take action within three days to begin training staff
and to repair the security and the safety breaches. Comcare deputy CEO
Steve Kibble this week said that a follow-up investigation on May 24 found
it was "generally" satisfied with the Immigration Department's
response to fixing the problems. But opposition immigration spokesman Scott
Morrison said that the report should have been a "flashing light"
for the government. "(The government) were warned not to proceed but
they went ahead anyway," Mr Morrison said. "What disturbs me
about this is that a department was forced to cut corners as pressure
continued to mount from the government's failed border protection policies.
It also shows the significant pressure the network was already under prior
to the riots."
June 2, 2011 ABC
News
In a series of explosive allegations, two former employees of the private
security firm which has a $756 million contract with the Federal Government
claim fines for contract breaches at detention centres are being pushed to
the side "for political reasons". The employees have also
detailed lax security practices at the Christmas Island detention centre.
The Government fines the security firm, Serco, for any breach of its
contract, which can include detainee escapes, riots, or untimely transport
escorts. But despite an extensive audit system, the Christmas Island
insiders claim the financial penalties, or abatements, are not always
recouped by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). "The
monthly abatements ran into the many hundreds of thousands of dollars [on
Christmas Island] but when it would reach up into the cluster management or
regional manager level, they would sort it out with DIAC and nothing would
ever come to pass,'' a former Serco manager told ABC's Online Investigative
Unit. "The view among senior management on the ground, who were
worried about it, was that they were sweeping it under the table, probably
for political reasons, as they probably didn't want it getting around how
bad the situation was there. "When it got really bad, the amount
mentioned that Serco were going to be abated [on Christmas Island] was $1.5
million, and always at the end of the month after they had the final
abatement meeting, but it would just be pushed off to the side. "I'm
sure there's a lot at stake to make it look like Serco is coping or just
coping but it is just wrong for Australian taxpayers that these people are
gilding the lily." In response to the allegations, a DIAC spokesperson
said the abatements could not fall through the cracks. "The Department
of Immigration and Citizenship follows up all breaches at all immigration
detention facilities and these are taken very seriously." DIAC serves
abatements against Serco once a month for unfulfilled contractual
obligations yet these are "commercial in confidence" and not
publicly disclosed. Serco did not return calls to the ABC prior to
publication. Waste of money -- One former Serco employee alleges a range of
contractual obligations were not being met on Christmas Island but that
DIAC was unaware. "The wastage of money and lack of accountability was
concerning. [Serco] staff could put down extra hours and they wouldn't even
know where staff were - people claiming wages and they weren't even on the
island," the former employee said. The allegations coincide with calls
by the Opposition for a parliamentary inquiry into Australia's immigration
detention system. The call is backed by the Greens and by independent MP
Andrew Wilkie. The Greens also want a broader inquiry into mandatory
detention and requested that DIAC table Serco abatements in last week's
Senate estimates hearing. "You wouldn't have to be too clever to find
a whole host of financial and human resource mismanagement, it would be
plain to see," the former Serco manager said. "They would just
have to ask for the records of the contract management meetings. They are
all minuted and recorded, pages and pages of evidence." It is
understood that acts of non-compliance such as the escapes, riots and fires
at Christmas Island in mid-March incur some of the highest penalties.
"There were the times when there were the big escapes and the damages
occurring," the whistleblower continued. "Certainly the figures
raised at meetings that I attended, there was the potential to be abated
well over $1 million. That's for one month." The other insider added:
"You could be greeted by a security officer sitting and having a
cigarette and that's when you walked in the gate. And I'd say, 'Well,
aren't you going to search my bag?' It was just not up to scratch.
"You were not supposed to take cameras into the property. I had a
camera in my bag since day one. People are supposed to X-ray your bag
coming and going. No. Not always. "There were a whole heap of people
wandering outside the camps almost on a daily basis, at will. What they
were saying is that these people had escaped because the fences weren't
secure. "But what was occurring and it was common knowledge among the
people there - is that there were people [detainees] who were just
wandering in and out of the camps." In last week's Senate estimate
hearings, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young drew attention to the lack of
transparency of the contract, breaches and abatements. DIAC official Fiona
Lynch-Magor responded: "The Serco contract provides significant
capability for the Department to ensure that the contract is appropriately
administered." "We certainly have abated Serco [in] the period of
this contract on many occasions for their failure to deliver the contract
but it is not recorded in a recordable manner, as in X number of breaches
this financial year, because of the way the abatements work." The
Serco whistleblower says a paper trail would not be hard to locate.
"All somebody needs to say to DIAC is, we would like to see a copy of
their minutes from the abatement meetings that are held every Thursday at
approximately 2:00pm [on Christmas Island]."
May 26, 2011 ABC
News
Two private security whistleblowers say it is only a matter of time before
an under-qualified or under-resourced colleague is partly responsible for
the death of a suicidal detainee on Christmas Island. Current and former
employees of contractor Serco fear soaring asylum seeker self-harm rates,
combined with staff who are stretched beyond their capacities, could soon
prove fatal at the immigration detention centre. The ABC investigative unit
has obtained confidential documents dated April 27, April 29, May 6 and May
11, 2011, detailing 50 incidents including suicidal intent among asylum
seekers, attempted hangings, self-harm with intent, homicidal thoughts and
self-mutilation. "Serco had protocols to follow in respect to suicide
watch and keeping them [unstable detainees] in separate areas but that
wasn't occurring at all,'' the former Serco employee said. "They
[Serco] certainly didn't have enough people trained to do a specified job
like monitoring people who were on suicide watch - they just weren't
qualified to do that. "There was a whole recording system too where
these things had to be logged, and they just weren't being recorded.
"We just didn't have the people to do it." The revelations come
as an Australian Human Rights Commission report on Sydney's Villawood
detention centre detailed extensive problems of self-harm and depression
among detainees. Serco said it was not policy to comment or divulge
protocol for dealing with suicidal detainees. It is understood, however,
that suicidal tendencies should be picked up and reported on each client's
personal file. All self-harm clients are to be reported and accessed by
psychiatric nurses. Clients on suicide watch are isolated and monitored by
a dedicated staff member who signs off on inspections. In the most serious
cases, detainees are taken to the local medical centre or hospital for
treatment. The current Serco employee believes it is "a matter of
time" until a tragedy occurs, and claims there have been 241 cases of
attempted self-harm by detainees in Christmas Island immigration detention
facilities in April. The ABC has been unable to verify this figure. Last
week, ABC News Online reported allegations by detainees at Villawood
detention centre in Sydney that an inadequate response from guards forced
them to use a cigarette lighter to try to save the life of a man who had
attempted suicide earlier this year. Detainees say they tried to burn
through the rope Ahmed Al Akabi had used to take his own life. Serco
declined to comment on the allegations but in a statement to the ABC
following the report, said it ran a comprehensive staff training program
that goes beyond its contractual obligations. "Serco is committed to
doing everything we can to prevent those in our care from coming to
harm," the statement said. "Our staff take this commitment
extremely seriously and work hard to keep those in our care safe and
secure." Protocol -- But the former Serco employee insists staff are not
appropriately qualified, nor do they have a suitable guard-to-detainee
ratio to always carry out recommended protocol. "To escort one person
over from one camp to the medical centre was a whole logistics exercise in
itself, especially on occasions when there might be only two officers to
look after 600 or so clients in a camp," they said. "Sometimes
they just didn't have the people available. "DIAC (the Department of
Immigration and Citizenship) would say to us, 'well, that suicide person
was reported at such and such time', there was a timeline - sometimes it
would be hours, sometimes even days out of date - to escort them to the
local hospital or the medical centre." "There was another time
when [Serco] were putting people into an empty dining room where there was
an officers' station and the officers would watch them through the glass.
"The officers wanted to cover up the glass because they didn't want to
be watching the inmates all the time or have the inmates watching
them." The Opposition intends to introduce a motion calling for a
parliamentary inquiry into the nation's immigration detention centres.
May 25, 2011 ABC
The Immigration Department says riots at the Christmas Island and Villawood
detention centres are estimated to have caused about $9 million in damage.
A number of buildings were destroyed during violent protests at both
centres earlier this year. Department spokeswoman Fiona Lynch-Magor told a
Senate hearing the company that runs the centres, Serco, will make an
insurance claim for the damage. "We've made some early assessments of
what we think those costs will be with our insurer," she said.
"But Serco will be pursuing the insurance with their own
insurer." The Immigration Department also says there were not enough federal
police on Christmas Island to arrest asylum seekers who escaped from the
detention centre during protests earlier this year. A large group of asylum
seekers broke through the detention centre fence during the riots and the
Senate hearing heard they were offered a lift back to the detention centre.
Department spokeswoman Jackie Wilson says it was not possible to arrest the
group. "The numbers of police on the island and the need to secure the
airport as a priority did not enable us to have sufficient AFP on the island
to do that," she said. "We were trying to do it in a peaceful way
which required working with the clients rather than using AFP, which were
being used for another purpose at the time." The Opposition says the
lack of federal police left the island in a vulnerable position. Opposition
immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says it backs his argument for a
parliamentary inquiry into the detention network. "[It's] very
concerning that there were not sufficient police on the island when things
broke out," he said. "What makes [this] worse is the department
confirmed that the number and type of incidents were escalating and getting
more serious, which was a clear indication that things were ... [the]
temperature was rising and things were getting out of hand." The Government
has already established a number of inquiries into the detention network.
May 6, 2011 Big
Pond
A Christmas Island detention centre guard has accused management of a
series of cover-ups. The guard said Serco, a private company that runs
Australia's detention centres, was keeping the immigration department in
the dark about the problems it faces at its facilities. Choosing to remain
anonymous, he told ABC television on Thursday a management officer shredded
a report detailing an incident in which he was attacked. 'You might get an
unruly detainee, and Immigration will say Oh no, you can't do anything, you
can't touch him' even if he pushes you, shoves ya, you just look at him,'
the guard said. 'If you write him up, sometimes it goes into Bin 13 - and that's
it.' He said Bin 13 was code among staff for the shredder. Asked if such
cover-ups were a regular occurrence, he replied: 'I'd say so.' The man also
accused Serco of inflating staff numbers and having guards on the rosters
that didn't exist. 'Yep, they're not on the island, but they're on the
roster.' The guard said he and his colleagues sometimes would go to work
drunk, but were never punished because of the worker shortage. The ABC
broadcast statements from two other Serco guards who agreed staff numbers
were low. One said that during a riot in February, there had been 15 guards
watching over 2500 detainees. Serco has been contacted for comment. The
cover-up claims come as Immigration Minister Chris Bowen was forced to
rebuke his department for not alerting him to the discovery of a homemade
bomb at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre. He conceded he should have
been alerted when the primitive device was found in March, just a month
before a riot and major fire broke out, damaging nine buildings.
May 10, 2011 The
Australian
THERE are now tensions among guards as well as detainees on Christmas
Island. Up to 100 untrained casual detention workers at the centre claim
they are doing the same work as qualified security officers but are paid
about $800 a week less. Serco, the company chosen to run Australia's
immigration detention centres, is battling a shortage of workers on the
remote island and has grown concerned by recent resignations and
dissatisfaction among the lower-paid workforce employed by subcontractor
MSS. Serco has begun recruiting MSS workers in a bid to quell disquiet and
prevent further resignations, The Australian has been told. "We're the
ones doing all the work while Serco workers get the good pay," one MSS
worker told The Australian. "Some Serco officers are sympathetic but
some just lord it over you because you haven't done the Serco course. We're
not even supposed to have contact with the clients (detainees) and we're
running the place." Under Australian law, detention centre officers who
interact with asylum-seekers in detention must complete a training course
that usually takes six weeks. The arrival of untrained security
subcontractors from MSS on Christmas Island last year helped Serco fill
positions at the main detention centre and other camps as the boat arrivals
rose. But The Australian has been told the move took the Department of
Immigration and Citizenship by surprise. "DIAC didn't know they were
here, on the island, already working," one immigration worker said.
Serco employs more than 100 Christmas Islanders but dissatisfaction built
up between the fly-in, fly-out workers after the MSS staff discovered their
Serco colleagues had extra benefits. These include a "living away from
home" allowance of $103 a day and a daily allowance if they shared a
room with another guard.
April 19, 2011 ABC
Radio Australia News
New allegations have surfaced that staff at Australia's Christmas Island
detention centre are being pressured not to report troublesome incidents.
Kaye Bernard from the Christmas Island Workers union claims the company
that manages the facility, Serco, has instructed workers not to report
incidents, including self-harm. Ms Bernard claims it's because the company
doesn't want to be fined by the Government if its found to have breached
its contractual obligations. "They've certainly instructed some of our
members that they will not, that they will not tolerate them reporting
incidents as they are required to do over the contract with DIAC and if you
do report incidents you get a window seat, you get flown off the
island," she said. In a statement Serco has strongly denied the
allegation.
March 26, 2011 The
West Australian
Asylum seekers involved in violent protests on Christmas Island armed
themselves with riot gear including shields and handcuffs stolen from
detention centre security guards. The West Australian has confirmed
detainees managed to seize dangerous "restraint equipment" after
storming one of the centre's administration buildings early in the riots.
Stolen equipment included specialist riot shields, plastic flexi-handcuffs
and protective equipment. The equipment was taken from the stores of the
detention service provider Serco. "Some detainees are believed to have
gained access to restraint equipment, including helmets and shields. All
items were subsequently recovered or accounted for," Immigration
Minister Chris Bowen's spokesman said. As well as the riot equipment,
detainees are known to have armed themselves with broom handles and pool
cues and a kind of accelerant described by some as a form of Molotov
cocktail.
March 23, 2011 Big
Pond News
Federal police have arrested two men in the jungle on Christmas Island
during a search for escaped detainees following break-outs and riots at the
detention centre. The arrests follow conflicting government statements on
whether all detainees had been accounted for after police regained control
of the centre. On Tuesday, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said a first
head count at the centre had not tallied, so a second count, matching
detainees with their photos, was being conducted by the centre's private
operator Serco. As that count was under way, AFP Operations Commander Rob
Gilliland told reporters on the island that two men were taken into custody
by AFP officers conducting searches near the Northwest Point detention
centre on Tuesday morning. The officers 'found these two individuals in the
jungle', he said. Mass break-outs preceded last week's riots, in which
accommodation marquees and small buildings were burnt down as police used
tear gas and 'bean-bag bullets' to quell rioters throwing molotov cocktails
and rocks. At least two break-outs occurred, one involving a perimeter
fence being pushed down, and up to 170 detainees roamed the island,
heightening safety fears in the Christmas Island community. Police, who now
number 189 on the island, have secured the centre, imposing a night-time
curfew and electrifying a security fence.
March 22, 2011 The
Australian
THE former manager of the Christmas Island detention centre wrote to his
boss at Serco five months before last week's riots, urging the company to
hire more staff to tackle security and safety failures at the overcrowded
facility. The staffing proposal document written last October by then
centre manager, Ray Wiley, urged Serco, which operates all the detention
centres, to hire more personnel and "provide proactive intervention
rather than reactive damage control". The document, obtained by The
Australian, details chronic overcrowding at Christmas Island's main
detention centre, including 144 detainees housed in classrooms, 92 in
storerooms, 30 in a visiting area and 240 in tents. In his letter, Mr
Wiley, who has since left Serco, claims the detention centre was
"typically 15 staff short per day" and says "even if all
posts were filled, we would struggle". "This in itself does not
enable confidence in being able to manage the centre in a controlled and
ordered manner, affording a safe environment for staff, clients and
visitors to the centre," he says. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of
sidebar. .End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. After violent rioting
last Thursday night in which parts of the centre were burned to the ground,
the Immigration Department asked the Australian Federal Police to take over
control of the facility from Serco, which has a $370 million a year
contract to run Australia's detention centres. Julia Gillard warned
yesterday that the asylum-seekers involved in the riots would not go
unpunished, saying they should face criminal charges. After taking charge
of security at the problem-plagued centre, the AFP has switched on the
electric fences and yesterday patrolled the compound with a tactical police
dog to move detainees to their assigned areas. Some detainees have been
refusing to move to the main compounds from the burnt-out remains of the
Aqua and Lilac compounds at the edge of the centre. There are fears up to
20 escaped detainees are camping out in the jungle, eating robber crabs,
and yesterday AFP operational commander Chris Lines acknowledged that an
official head-count had not been completed. "What I can report is that
it was another calm night at the centre, the third calm night in succession,"
Deputy Superintendent Lines said. Serco was reportedly fined more than $4m
for contract breaches earlier this year. Rosters obtained by The Australian
this month show that on some night shifts since November, there have been
fewer than 10 guards in compounds holding about 1600 men.
March 19, 2011 The
Australian
THE rioting detainees on Christmas Island have been warned that they
face 20-year jail terms and having their asylum bids rejected, as the
government tries to end six days of running battles with federal police
that have left the detention centre in burnt-out ruins. The rioting sparked
a renewed political battle yesterday, with the Greens describing the border
protection system as having reached breaking point and the Coalition
demanding the government suspend the asylum applications of the rioters to
send a message to other asylum-seekers. The $400 million detention centre
built by the Howard government was a scene of devastation yesterday, with
tents and other accommodation burnt to the ground. A group of 280
non-violent detainees were being sheltered from others who had allegedly
pressured them into joining the uprising. The centre's contractor, Serco,
was yesterday using barbecues to feed detainees because of damage to the
kitchens where meals are prepared for almost 3000 asylum-seekers.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen rejected opposition claims that Christmas
Island was out of control, saying he was satisfied the AFP had taken
stewardship of the detention facility. He appointed two former senior
bureaucrats to review the performance of his department and Serco.
Describing the violence as inexcusable, Mr Bowen said he had the power to
reject visa applications on the basis of conduct and character, in a clear
warning to the ringleaders that their activities could cost them asylum
even if they are not charged. Mr Bowen told The Weekend Australian
yesterday jail time for the rioters would not be ruled out.
March 1, 2011 The
Age
THIRTEEN people were injured, windows were smashed and three asylum seekers
were arrested during a riot at the crowded Christmas Island detention
centre at the weekend. Federal police used capsicum spray to subdue some of
those involved in the fracas, which led to several young Afghans being
separated from other asylum seekers and locked in a dining room overnight
for their own protection. Sources said the altercation was similar to a
violent incident earlier last month at another facility, the Darwin Airport
Lodge, where hundreds of asylum seekers are being held. While the catalyst
is believed to be tension between Afghan Hazara boys and the protective
fathers of girls in the centre, advocates say the violence is the
consequence of frustration over indefinite detention, cramped conditions
and inadequate facilities. Many of the unaccompanied minors are unable to
attend school on the island. All are denied access to the community oval
adjacent to the centre because of a dispute with the local cricket club.
February 4, 2011 The
Age
INTERPRETERS for asylum seekers on Christmas Island have been working
without accreditation or translating experience. A Melbourne interpreter
said unqualified staff were ill-equipped to deal with asylum seekers'
issues dispassionately. ''Some of the interpreters are not competent
because they are not actually interpreters,'' the source, who had worked on
Christmas Island, said. ''It's not up to Immigration. They are desperate.
The number of clients has gone up and demand is shocking.'' For certain
dialects, the interpreter said, it was impossible to meet demand from the
pool of trained professionals within Australia. The comments follow a
report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Allan Asher, which found asylum
seekers had been assigned interpreters who did not speak their language and
were recording incorrect information on their asylum claims. Amnesty
International Australia said the problems were common to detention centres
in Darwin and at Curtin in Western Australia.
December 2, 2010 Daily
Telegraph
THE Department of Immigration is investigating a brawl which broke out
between 100 asylum seekers, some teenagers, at Christmas Island Detention
Centre. Just before 10pm (WST) on Monday, a fight broke out at the
detention centre's construction camp involving Iraqi, Iranian, Afghan
asylum seekers and Indonesian boat crew. A Department spokesman said the
construction camp is where many of the unaccompanied minors who arrive at
Christmas Island are held and the brawl did involve teenagers. "It was
just a bit of a scuffle between a bunch of teenagers really and it was
brought under control fairly quickly," he said. Three detainees
suffered minor injuries as a result of the fight and were taken to hospital
after being assessed by the detention centre's health service providers.
Police were called and the Department ordered a full investigation and
report into the brawl by the centre's service provider Serco.
September 13, 2010
The Australian
A VIOLENT and bloody riot erupted between Sri Lankan and Afghan detainees
at Christmas Island’s detention centre one hour after guards decided it was
safe to re-open security doors separating the brawling ethnic groups. The
riot on November 21 last year involved up to 200 men and saw Sri Lankan
asylum-seekers brandish metal soccer goalposts and attack a vastly
outnumbered group of Afghan detainees, prosecutors allege. Opening the
Commonwealth’s case today against five Sri Lankan men charged with
participating in a riot and possessing a weapon, Ron Davies QC said four
hours before the rampage a violent argument between Sri Lankans and Afghans
resulted in security doors being closed. The doors separated detainees from
accommodation compounds and a communal recreation area. Mr Davies said the
doors re-opened around 7pm and about an hour later tensions boiled over and
the riot began, resulting in 50 people being injured. “Clients (detainees)
were attacking each other with anything and everything they could, buckets,
pool cues, mops, brooms, chairs,” Serco operations manager Mark Bonccorso
told Perth Magistrates Court today. Mr Bonccorso - whose employer managed
the centre for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship - said after
the initial argument he spoke to the detainees involved who told him the
problem was resolved. When the security doors were raised he assured two
Afghan detainees that they could return to their compound because the Sri
Lankans had told him “it was over”. But Mr Bonccorso told magistrate Steve
Malley that when the riot broke out he saw one of the Afghan men he had
previously reassured with severe facial injuries. “He approached me and
said to me, ‘you said it would be safe’,” he said. He told the court that
at one point there was at least 100 Sri Lankans moving towards 40 Afghans,
some of whom were trying to retreat. “(Sri Lankans) had got towards the
goal posts and they had physically ripped them apart to arm themselves with
metal bars... they started to advance to the Afghans,” he said. Mr
Bonccorso said he saw one Afghan man who was not participating in the riot
struck in the head from behind by a Sri Lankan armed with a tree stump. He
said he and other guards tried to break up the riot by arming themselves
with sticks and trying to deflect blows between the asylum-seekers. “My
impression was the Afghans were losing and losing pretty badly,” he said.
August 17, 2010 The
Australian
IMMIGRATION officers are investigating how a Kurdish detainee escaped from
Christmas Island's Detention Centre for at least nine hours today. He is
back in the centre tonight after the Australian Federal Police found him
about 500m from the boundary at 3.30pm local time (6.30pm AEST). The AFP
took him to the local hospital, and he had no apparent injuries. The
Immigration Department has ordered a report of the incident from the
contractor running the centre, Serco, after a headcount at 7am yesterday
confirmed someone was unaccounted for. Serco will be fined if the escape is
found to have resulted from lax work practices or incompetence. Serco
initially believed the man escaped by digging a hole under a perimeter
fence, taking a pillow and a blanket with him into inhospitable jungle. In
April, a man escaped from the centre by scaling two high fences. A
department spokeswoman said the method of the most recent escape was still
being investigated, but there was no evidence to show he dug himself out.
May 4, 2010 The
Australian
A DISGRUNTLED detainee left his tent, scaled two wire fences and
stalked off into thick jungle on Christmas Island last Friday, sparking an
Australian Federal Police operation and warnings to detention centre staff
not to speak about the security breach. The man was seen about 10.30am
(WST) escaping from the $400 million Immigration Detention Centre, built by
the Howard government with security akin to a maximum-security prison. He
was spotted climbing an electric fence that The Australian understands was
not activated. He was picked up by the AFP close to the centre about 2.30pm
(local time). The Department of Immigration and Citizenship refused to
answer questions about whether the fences were electrified, or had been
since the Rudd Government placed the first detainees in the centre in
December 2008. But a spokesman for the Department said the man had been
gone for about an hour, between about 1.30pm and 2.30pm. "He was
monitored while he was out," the spokesman said. The department and
contractor Serco has told workers not to talk about the escape. Escaping
from the detention centre is almost certainly futile; the tiny island is
2700km by sea from Perth. Anyone who breaks out faces sheer cliffs in one
direction, jungle in another and a 20km walk to a settlement where they
would stand out. The escape comes amid increasing anxiety among detainees
about an apparent toughening of the Department's approach. As the man
bolted, a group of Afghans inside the centre was protesting against a
decision to reject 25 of them for visas. The rejections came as a shock
because no Afghan asylum-seeker arriving by boat has been sent home by the
Rudd Government. But Immigration Minister Chris Evans has hinted that more
rejections are imminent.
March 12, 2010 The
Australian
PROSECUTORS are unsure whether they have sufficient evidence against 11
asylum-seekers charged over a riot inside the Immigration Detention Centre on
Christmas Island in November. The commonwealth revealed its uncertainty
about the case at the Christmas Island courthouse yesterday when the nine
Sri Lankan men and two Afghanis made their first appearances to answer
charges of taking part in a riot and wielding weapons, including a chair.
They all pleaded not guilty after arriving under guard in a minibus from
the Phosphate Hill detention compound. Prosecutor Joel Grinceri told the
court the commonwealth needed more time to assess the evidence and find out
about the availability of witnesses to the riot. "The commonwealth DPP
is not in possession of all relevant material from the Australian Federal
Police to enable proper consideration of the sufficiency of the evidence
and the possible approach to prosecute these persons," Mr Grinceri
said. The Australian understands CCTV footage of some crucial parts of the
rioting either does not exist or is of poor quality. Julian Burnside QC has
been asked to represent the asylum-seekers if the matters go to trial.
"Identification will be a major issue in this case," Mr Burnside
told The Australian. "The role of Serco (the contractor that runs the
detention centre and supplies guards) in the disturbance will also be an
issue."
February 27, 2010 Green
Left Weekly
An asylum seeker accused of rioting in the Christmas Island detention
centre on November 21 recently contacted a refugee advocate about living
conditions inside. The refugee advocate asked Green Left Weekly to withhold
both their name. At the trial of the accused rioters on January 20, the
magistrate did not issue orders to move them. Yet the accused were moved to
“red compound”. The asylum seeker said they felt violated by surveillance
cameras in the toilets, and complained about this. They have since been moved
to the centre’s “alpha compound”. There are no surveillance cameras in the
toilets at the alpha compound, but it is more crowded. The asylum seeker
said he was in a 12-by-10 foot room with two others. It was too small to
fit a table or cupboard, or to display religious items. He said they were
not allowed out to the oval, church or the pool. They were surrounded by an
electric fence. They had access to mobile phones in red compound, but they
are banned in alpha compound. There are two computers for 100 people. He
wrote: “We can’t inform this message [to] anybody, so I inform you: what
can we do?” He was distraught about the fate of his family, fearful of his
fate in detention, and desperate to continue tertiary studies. He was very
appreciative of what practical help the refugee advocate could provide,
which was to send him books on learning English. That there was a need to
send books suggests little had changed since a 2003 report characterised
the detention centre’s library services to asylum seekers as “leftovers and
scraps”. The living conditions sounded like a Siberian prison camp under
Stalin. Serco, the company that runs the privatised detention centre,
refused to speak to GLW. However, a Department of Immigration and
Citizenship (DIAC) spokesperson answered some questions by email. DIAC
advised that if refugees are unhappy with their living conditions they can
“raise such issues with the detention services provider”. The refugee
advocate told GLW that the ombudsman plans to visit the island. It is not
clear if the ombudsman will have access to complaints. There is a higher
security area known as “red compound”. Surveillance of toilet areas is used
only if inmates pose a very high risk to themselves or others. Alpha
compound is an “ordinary holding area”, DIAC told GLW. Asylum seekers are
given 50 credit points (worth about $1) per week with which they can
purchase items such as cigarettes or phone cards to use with fixed phones.
According to DIAC, many of the books available were “sourced from the Christmas
Island local school, while some books, magazines and newspapers have been
donated by people living on the island”. However, a “large order” of Tamil
books that includes novels, cricket books and magazines had just been
delivered. Given the serious gap between the asylum seeker’s evidence and
DIAC’s description, it is of grave concern that ordinary Australians cannot
freely contact staff or residents at the centre. Serco Australia has
pledged to “meet the highest standards of performance and accountability”.
But has it?
November 24, 2009 The Age
RIOTING refugees could be kicked out of Australia for their part in a
wild brawl that broke out in Christmas Island's detention centre on
Saturday night. Security is also set to be beefed up following the riot, in
which 150 Afghan and Tamil asylum seekers attacked each other with pool
cues, brooms and tree branches. The fight was sparked by a dispute over a
game of pool. As a Federal Police probe began, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
warned that the ringleaders had jeopardised their asylum claims: ''If a
detainee on Christmas Island has committed a serious offence this will be
taken into consideration as part of the assessment as to whether or not
they are granted a visa.'' A fourth asylum seeker who was badly injured in
the brawl was flown to Perth for treatment, joining three other men already
in Fremantle Hospital, in a stable condition. While 43 asylum seekers were
hurt, five guards employed by the centre's manager Serco suffered minor
injuries. Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the warring groups were
being kept separate and he promised tighter security. The problem started
when two Afghan men using a pool table refused to give it up and taunted
waiting Tamils, a source said. ''The Afghans kept heckling and wouldn't get
out. Normally when two people lose, they leave and let the next two have a
go. The men exchanged foul language and one Afghan hit the Tamil guy and
the Tamil guy hit back and then it escalated with pool cues,'' the source
said. A fight erupted and continued for 45 minutes before it was broken up
by Serco staff. After detainees were locked in their rooms for an hour,
those treated for wounds returned to find 50 Afghan men waiting. Another
brawl erupted. The source said Sinhalese Sri Lankans backed Tamil
countrymen in the fight that left some with broken bones and head injuries.
Senator Evans dismissed suggestions ethnic tensions, such as resentment
towards the Afghans for getting visas quicker, triggered the fight. He said
Sri Lankan men had become increasingly anxious after some of their
countrymen were deported a few weeks ago. ''There has been some increased
tension around the Sri Lankans in particular being a bit concerned, as we
have had some people removed back to Sri Lanka,'' Mr Evans said. He added
he was ''quite comfortable'' that the centre was being managed properly,
despite becoming increasingly overcrowded as more detainees were squeezed
in.
Clarence
Correctional Centre
Oct
12, 2022 arr.news
CCC staff take further action against Serco
For
the second time in 10 days, prison officers from the Clarence Correctional
Centre (CCC) stopped work amidst ongoing frustrations surrounding
multinational Serco’s current refusal to improve what have been described
as unsafe working conditions or increase employee pay rates. In a statement
released last week by the Public Service Association (PSA), the union
announced they had notified Serco of the intended stoppage, which was held
from 6am until 6pm on October 10. The latest event followed a rally at the
Truck Drivers Memorial Park in South Grafton on September 30, which was
attended by more than 80 CCC prison officers, who loudly voiced their
concerns. PSA Assistant General Secretary Troy Wright said officers at the
CCC, which includes a maximum-security division, are paid $26.88 an hour
and have been negotiating for close to two years to secure a new pay deal
with Serco. Mr Wright recently compared their current salary to a Grade 2A
retail worker at Bunnings, who earns $26.31 per hour, and said the prison
officers would be better working in an environment selling hammers instead
of working for appalling wages while they risked being hit by one. “These
men and women put their own safety on the line every day for the rest of
us,” he said. “It’s not right to ask them to do that for the same pay
they’d earn scanning shovels at Bunnings. “Serco is a massive multinational
with incredibly deep pockets. “It can easily afford to pay these workers
the same rates as those who work in public prisons, but instead, Serco have
stonewalled us for two years of negotiations. “I think Serco figured these
prison officers would just fold in the end. “Well, I hope they understand
how wrong they were, because we won’t stop fighting until we achieve a fair
outcome.” Mr Wright identified the “dismal pay and conditions” offered by
Serco as the main reasons the multinational has difficulties recruiting and
retaining employees, resulting in the CCC being regularly short staffed
with fewer than five officers on duty some nights. “Very few of us ever
want to set foot in a prison, let alone work in one, but it’s vital work
that has to be done, and those who put up their hand for it shouldn’t have
to struggle to feed their families,” he said. “This is a private prison, so one
perverse aspect of the chronic understaffing is that every time Serco don’t
fill a shift, that’s more profit they make, and that’s just wrong. “My
message to Serco is clear: stop playing silly buggers, sit down with the
union, offer them a fair wage. “They deserve it, and the Grafton community
deserves it. “We know any pay rise won by prison officers will flow
straight through the economy of this region which desperately needs it.
“And I bet Serco’s shareholders won’t notice one way or the other, so let’s
get a deal done.”
Oct 9, 2022 miragenews.com
Australia’s worst paid prison officers set to strike again on Monday
Prison
officers at the Clarence Correctional Centre near Grafton will strike again
this Monday (10/10), incensed over multinational Serco’s current refusal to
improve safety standards or boost pay rates that sit below that of Bunnings
workers. The union has notified Serco of the stoppage to commence at 6am on
Monday 10 October 2022, and continue through until 6pm on Monday 10 October
2022. Officers at the centre, which includes a maximum-security division,
are paid $26.88 an hour and have been negotiating for two years for a new
pay deal with Serco. “These men and women put their own safety on the line
every day for the rest of us. It’s not right to ask them to do that for the
same pay as they’d make scanning shovels at Bunnings,” said PSA Assistant
General Secretary Troy Wright. “Serco is a massive multinational with
incredibly deep pockets. It can easily afford to pay these workers the same
rates as those who work in public prisons. Instead Serco have stonewalled
us for two years of negotiations. “I think Serco figured these prison
officers would just fold in the end. Well, I hope they understand how wrong
they were. We won’t stop fighting until we achieve a fair outcome. “Very
few of us ever want to set foot in a prison, let alone work in one. But
it’s vital work that has to be done. And those who put up their hand for it
shouldn’t have to struggle to feed their families. “The dismal pay and
conditions that Serco offer means they can’t recruit or retain staff. So
the gaol is regularly short-staffed. Some nights there are just four
officers on duty. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. “This is a private
prison, so one perverse aspect of the chronic understaffing is that every
time Serco don’t fill a shift, that’s more profit they make, and that’s
just wrong. “My message to Serco today is clear: stop playing silly
buggers, sit down with the union, offer them a fair wage. They deserve it
and the Grafton community deserves it. “We know any pay rise won by prison
officers will flow straight through the economy of this region which
desperately needs it. And I bet Serco’s shareholders won’t notice one way
or the other. So let’s get a deal done.”
Colnbrook
Immigration Removal Center,
Colnbrook, UK
Jun
16, 2015 theguardian.com
UK:
Gov must release critical private prison reports
Potentially
damaging reports into the running of two immigration detention centres by
private contractors must be released by the Home Office within weeks, the
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has said. The documents will give
detailed breakdowns and insight into the running of Harmondsworth,
Britain’s largest immigration detention centre, and Colnbrook, both near
Heathrow in west London. It is believed that this is the first time the
reports, which are prepared for Home Office officials each month by the
contractors that run Britain’s immigration detention facilities, will come
to light. The Home Office fought to prevent their release for more than 10
months after the research group Corporate Watch lodged a freedom of
information request. Government officials argued that the documents were
confidential and would harm the commercial interests of the contractors
Serco and GEO Group if they became public knowledge. The Home Office also
said their release would make it more difficult to negotiate deals with
contractors in future. However, in a decision Corporate Watch described as
landmark, the ICO said that, while it agreed that the commercial interests
of the firms would be harmed, the public interest in transparency was more
important, and gave the Home Office until 13 July to release the reports.
It said their release would cause no significant damage to the Home
Office’s bargaining position with potential contractors, knocking down an
exemption to the Freedom of Information Act often relied upon by government
departments. Phil Miller, a researcher for Corporate Watch, said the ICO’s
decision sent “a strong signal to government to be far more transparent on
outsourced contracts. Home Office bureaucrats should not shield private
security companies from public scrutiny”. In a document detailing the
reasons for its ruling, the ICO said the operation of immigration removal
centres (IRCs) in general is an issue that has been the subject of scrutiny
and concern. It said it had taken into account media coverage suggesting
that the operation of the centres “has been a problematic area generally”
and that the HM chief inspector of prisons’ reports were “to varying
degrees of severity, critical” of the running of Harmondsworth and
Colnbrook. The document added: “The introduction to the report on
Harmondsworth refers to ‘inadequate focus on the needs of the most
vulnerable detainees’, ‘shocking cases where a sense of humanity was lost’
and to the centre as ‘dirty and bleak’ and ‘in a state of drift’.” It noted
that the Colnbrook report was also negative, although to a lesser degree.
The ICO said: “Given this publicly available criticism of the operation of
these centres, the commissioner’s view is that there is in general a very
strong public interest in other information about their operation.” It said
that because the two self-audits now due to be released post-date the HMIP
reports, “there is a strong public interest in favour of disclosure in
order to reveal whether, according to the contractors’ own accounts, the
operations of these IRCs improved”. The commissioner added: “It is also
highly relevant that the contractors are paid with public money to operate
these IRCs. The disclosure of the self-audit reports would add to public
knowledge on the extent to which a value-for-money service is being
provided to the taxpayer, which is also in the public interest.
Furthermore, all of the factors in favour of disclosure are made more acute
by the vulnerable nature of people held within IRCs.” The number of reports
of serious self-harm at Harmondsworth have increased almost fourfold since
2012, according to figures obtained by Channel 4 News. There were at least
16 cases in 2012 and at least 62 incidents in 2014. Across all UK immigration
detention centres, it reported that the number of incidents of self-harm
requiring medical attention more than doubled between 2012 and 2014 from
150 to at least 306. The two reports that the Home Office has been ordered
to publish date from May 2014, when more than 100 detainees reportedly went
on hunger strike at Harmondsworth. At that time, it was being run by the
American company GEO Group. Responsibility for Harmondsworth’s operation
has now passed to Mitie after it won the contract. Colnbrook is still run
by Serco. The government can appeal, but has not confirmed whether it will
do so. A Home Office spokesman said: “We have noted the Information
Commissioner’s decision and are considering whether or not to appeal. It
would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.” Serco declined to
comment, saying it was a matter for the Home Office. GEO Group has not
responded to a request for comment.
Mar
1, 2015 rt.com UK
A
whistleblower who worked at a Serco-run immigration detention center
alleges the firm turned a blind eye to corruption in the jail, despite
evidence staff were smuggling hard drugs into the facility and making a
handsome profit in the process. Former detention custody officer Mark Blake
stands accused of conspiring to commit misconduct when he worked at
Colnbrook immigration removal center. However, he maintains his innocence –
insisting that stories he leaked to the Sun newspaper were justified and in
the public interest. The ex-Colebrook officer’s case began at the Old
Bailey in central London on Wednesday. Sun journalist Tom Wells, who also
faces allegations of misconduct, is also on trial. During the proceedings,
it emerged Blake’s concerns about practices in Colebrook prompted him to
forge a connection with Wells. The court heard Blake subsequently leaked a
number of controversial stories about Colnbrook to the Sun reporter, and
was offered almost £8,000 in return. The tipoffs evolved into 10 separate
stories in the tabloid newspaper. Prosecutor Jonathon Rees QC, who is
representing Serco, told the court Blake had received training at Colnbrook
about not speaking with the press. However, when the detention custody
officer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in March 2013, he told
police his actions had been entirely in the “public interest.” Blake said
at the time he reached out to the Sun because he knew what was happening at
the detention center was illegal. He insisted he did not expect any form of
payment. Following his arrest, he informed officers of “widespread drug abuse”
and violence between inmates. The ex-Colnbrook employee maintained Serco
was aware prison staff were smuggling hard drugs into the facility, and
that some had bought luxury cars from the proceeds. The defendant also said
female prison staff engaged in sexual activity with inmates. He added when
the transgressions were discovered by Serco, the firm “merely turned a
blind eye and marched the officers off the premises.” Throughout the
proceedings, it emerged Blake was told to “man up” and focus on his job when
he raised concerns about the detention center. Blake also told police that
Serco bribed inmates with coveted items to silence them and avoid potential
financial penalties, jurors heard. Rees told the jury that Serco does not
accept Blake’s claim that he raised concerns internally before approaching
the Sun. Blake, 43, from Slough, denies all allegations of misconduct in
public office. Sun reporter Tom Wells, who lives in southeast London, also
denies allegations of misconduct. In January, another Serco immigration
detention center in Bedfordshire, southern England came under fire. Read
more -- Yarl’s Wood asylum seekers ‘sexually abused by staff’ and ‘denied
privacy’ – charity A damning report, conducted by Women for Refugee Women,
found that female immigrants detained there are often denied privacy and
dignity. The refugee charity said female asylum seekers held at the
facility are routinely degraded by male staff, who monitor them while they
are naked. It also uncovered claims of sexual misconduct carried out by
Yarl’s Wood staff. Nevertheless, the Home Office has maintained full faith
in outsourcing giant Serco. The firm was recently offered a £70 million
contract by the Home Office to manage Yarl’s Wood for a further eight
years. Thousands of people are currently being detained in high security
immigration jails across Britain. Many are vulnerable asylum seekers whose
requests for UK residency have been rejected or are in process. They are
often deeply traumatized by difficult circumstances in their homeland and
fearful they may be forcibly returned.
August 5, 2011 The
Guardian
Separate investigations into three deaths in immigration removal centres
(IRC) in the past month have been launched by the police, amid growing
concern about the treatment of detainees. The spate of deaths has caused
alarm among critics of the government's detention policy, who warn that the
system is at "breaking point" with poor healthcare putting
people's lives at risk. Two men died from suspected heart attacks at Colnbrook
near Heathrow airport and the third killed himself at the Campsfield House
detention centre in Oxfordshire on Tuesday. John McDonnell, Labour MP for
Hayes and Harlington, who has two detention centres including Colnbrook in
his constituency, said he feared there would be more deaths as the system
struggled to cope with the number of people being detained. "The
government is now detaining people on such a scale that the existing
services are swamped," he said. "It is inevitable if we put the
services under such relentless strain that there will be more deaths as a
result … we are dealing with people who are extremely stressed and
extremely vulnerable and the services are not able to cope and not able to
guarantee their safety." The first man who died was Muhammad Shukat,
47, a Pakistani immigration detainee who collapsed at around 6am on 2 July.
His roommate Abdul Khan says that in the hours before he died Shukat was
groaning in agony, had very bad chest pains and was sweating profusely.
Khan, 19, from Afghanistan, said he began raising the alarm around 6am and
pressed the emergency button in the room 10 times in a frantic effort to
get help. Khan claimed that on three occasions members of the centre's
nursing team entered the room and found Shukat on the floor where he had
collapsed. Khan said they put him back into bed, took his temperature and
some medicine was administered, but did not call emergency assistance
immediately. According to Khan, the nurses initially said that Shukat could
go to see the centre's doctor at 8am. According to the London Ambulance
Service, Colnbrook staff called an ambulance just before 7.20am. Attempts
were made to resuscitate Shukat, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at
Hillingdon Hospital. A postmortem found the provisional cause of death to
be coronary heart disease. Shukat's body has been returned to Pakistan and
his family are understood to have no concerns about the medical treatment
he received. The second man to die at Colnbrook has not yet been named.
According to the Metropolitan police he was 35 and was found dead in his
cell at 10.30am last Sunday. London Ambulance Service officials pronounced
him dead at the scene. "A postmortem held on 1 August found the cause
of death to be a ruptured aorta. The death is being treated as
unexplained," said a police spokesman. Colnbrook IRC is managed by
Serco. In a statement to detainees about Shukat's death, deputy director at
Colnbrook, Jenni Halliday, described her "deep regret" and
extended her condolences. In a statement to detainees about the second
Colnbrook death, Serco's contract manager, Michael Guy, informed detainees
that a resident in the short-term holding facility had died and that the
death was thought to be from natural causes. On Tuesday, a 35-year-old man
hanged himself in the toilet block at Campsfield House detention centre in
Oxfordshire. A fellow detainee, who refused to give his name, said the man
had been hours away from being deported and had become very anxious.
"He was normally a very quiet person … but the pressure is too much
for people in here." It is understood the man had only been at the
centre for a few days before he died. The Home Office refused to give any
more details saying his extended family had yet to be informed. Emma Ginn,
from the campaign group Medical Justice, said the deaths had heightened
concern about the poor healthcare on offer to those being kept in UK
detention centres. "Based on medical evidence from many hundreds of
detainees, Medical Justice has documented the disturbingly inadequate healthcare
provision that often vulnerable immigration detainees are subjected to in
Colnbrook and other immigration removal centres... [this] combined with the
perilous and frightening conditions of detention, is a lethal cocktail, a
disaster waiting to happen." The UK Border Agency declined to comment
on the specific circumstances of each case. It said the police and the
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman always investigated deaths in immigration
detention centres and it would be inappropriate to comment until these were
complete. David Wood, director of criminality and detention at the UK
Border Agency, said all detainees at immigration removal centres have
access to health services seven days a week. "All detainees are seen
by a nurse within two hours of arrival and are given an opportunity to see
a GP within 24 hours," he added. "The health of all detainees is
monitored closely, and the healthcare professionals are required to report
cases where it is considered that a person's health is being affected by continued
detention. "The UK takes its responsibilities seriously, which is why
we consider every case on its individual merits and will continue to offer
protection to those who need it. However, detention is an essential part of
our controls on immigration in the UK." A groundbreaking ruling -- A
man with severe mental illness was unlawfully locked up in a UK detention
centre for five months and subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment,
according to a high court ruling. The man, a 34-year-old Indian national,
was detained in Harmondsworth immigration removal centre between April and
September last year. On Friday a judge ruled that his treatment amounted to
a breach of article 3 of the European convention human rights. The man's
lawyer said the ruling – thought to be the first of its kind – raised wider
questions about how the government treats people with mental illnesses in
the immigration and detention system. "The court's decision that my
client suffered inhuman or degrading treatment at a UK detention facility
sends a very loud and clear message to the authorities," said.
"We would urge the minister to conduct a fundamental review into how
people suffering from mental illness are treated in the immigration
detention estate." The man, referred to as "S" in the
ruling, had a history of serious ill treatment and abuse before arriving in
the UK. He served time in prison for wounding and assault before being
transferred to a secure psychiatric hospital until his discharge in April
2010. Following his release the UK Border Agency said there was "no
evidence" he was mentally ill and he was detained in Harmondsworth
where his health deteriorated and he began to have psychotic episodes and
self harm. The high court intervened and he was released on bail. His lawyers
said he had been living with his family since then and had fully complied
with the conditions of bail set by the court. In the ruling judge David
Elvin said: "S's pre-existing mental condition was both triggered and
exacerbated by detention and that involved both a debasement and
humiliation of S since it showed a serious lack of respect for his human
dignity. It created a state in S's mind of real anguish and fear, through
his hallucinations, which led him to self-harm frequently and to behave in
a manner which was humiliating…" A UK Border Agency spokesperson said:
"We regularly review our detention policies and will look at the
findings in this case to ensure lessons are learned. Detention is an
essential part of our immigration control but we recognise the importance
of ensuring it remains appropriate on a case by case basis."
June 22, 2009 Thaindian
The news that foreign criminals, including rapists and terrorists, are
being treated to lavish cuisine as they wait to be deported, has not gone
down with the taxpayers in Britain. There is an outrage among residents
over money being spent on the preparation of mouthwatering dishes for 383
inmates, who are currently staying at a luxurious 47 million pounds
Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre in Berkshire. The menu that these
detainees are being offered includes oriental poached fish parcels, beef
goulash and mint lamb stew. Each detainee is offered four choices for lunch
and dinner, plus three vegetable options and a dessert. “The idea that
these people should enjoy hotel-style standards of service and food is
preposterous. Given the recession we’re living in, most people will think
this type of arrangement is outrageous,” the Sun quoted Matthew Elliott, a
local resident, as saying. Other delicacies offered to them include chicken
chasseur, fish gumbo and beef and onion pie. They are handed a menu at the
start of the week and asked to mark their choices for the next seven days -
with food cooked to order. “Some of the dishes are so exotic they put
Gordon Ramsay to shame. The grub’s certainly better than the local hotels.
Now every foreign con wants to come here because the food is so good,” an
official said. The scandal is the latest to hit the Colnbrook Immigration
Removal Centre in Berkshire, which is run by a private firm ‘Serco’.
Earlier it was reported how the detainees had access to Nintendo Wiis and
plasma TVs.
June 2, 2009 The
Independent
Allegations that asylum seekers are being bullied by immigration staff
are not being properly investigated, a report into Britain's flagship
immigration removal centre has found. The use of reasonable force to
control detainees at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, near Heathrow
Airport, had increased and was not always well managed, Anne Owers, the
Chief Inspector of Prisons also found in a report published today. In the
three months before the inspection, there had been 179 complaints ranging
from bullying to poor food. Dame Anne said: "...we found little
improvement at Colnbrook since our last visit... there was evidence of the
centre taking inappropriate steps to manage some of the challenges; there
were examples of separation being misused and the vulnerable persons unit
was not fit for purpose." The centre, run by Serco, holds male
detainees in the most secure facility in the detention estate. Dame Anne
said: "A significant number of complaints, including allegations of
staff bullying, were not adequately investigated and replies lacked
detail." Dave Woods, head of criminality and detention at the UK
Border Agency, said: "In the six months since HMCIP visited, safety,
security and purposeful activity for detainees have improved
significantly."
January 16, 2007 IC
Coventry
Conditions in holding centres for immigration offenders awaiting
deportation still need to be improved, the jails watchdog has said. Chief
Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers published reports on four immigration
short-term holding facilities at Colnbrook near Heathrow Airport, Sandford
House in Solihull, and Liverpool's Reliance House and John Lennon Airport.
Inspectors found that detainees at Colnbrook spent unacceptably long
periods locked in single rooms, and there was a lack of information and
independent advice for people facing removal. But it had avoided some of
the problems seen in other facilities because it was managed by the
Immigration Removal Centre, offering access to healthcare facilities,
welfare and race relations support, Ms Owers said. Staff at the three
centres in Liverpool and Solihull - all run by Group 4 Securicor - needed
more training in the care and protection of children, her report found. The
facilities also required reorganising for a mixed population, it added. Ms
Owers said: "Accommodation still remains inadequate in many centres
and the needs of detainees in relation to healthcare, information and
advice, and preparations for release are not yet sufficiently met."
Home Office Minister Liam Byrne said: "I take very seriously the
recommendations, and action plans responding in detail are currently being
drawn up to ensure further improvements are made. "It is important to
remember that non-residential short-term holding facilities are intended to
accommodate people for very brief periods of time." Liberal Democrat
home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: "The inspector's report
confirms what has been apparent for some time: that, for the Government,
these people are out of sight and out of mind. "Any society should be
ashamed when people are treated like this just because they are to be
deported."
Curtin
Detention Centre, Australia
November 26, 2011 The West
Australian
A Perth man once charged with people smuggling has been working as a guard
at an immigration detention centre for the past year. Jarajo Zirak, 22, has
been working at the Perth Airport centre but his employer, Serco, stood him
down on Thursday after The Weekend West made inquiries about his
employment. In a separate development, Serco, which runs Australia's
immigration detention centres, has been ordered to investigate claims
detainees at the Curtin centre near Derby were pressured by staff to pay
money owed for their voyage to Australia. Mr Zirak, an Afghan refugee who
has lived in Perth for five years, was arrested outside his family's
Thornlie home in April last year and charged with organising or facilitating
the proposed entry into Australia of five or more people while in Indonesia
between May 22 and November 26, 2009. The charge was dropped a month later.
At the time, Australian Federal Police reportedly said there were
"significant changes in the strength of evidence from the
witness" that were beyond the control of the AFP and prosecutors. A
few months later, Serco employed Mr Zirak as a client service officer and,
until this week, he had regular contact with asylum seekers. He declined to
comment through his lawyer yesterday. A police check would not have shown
Mr Zirak's charge because he was not convicted, but a Google search reveals
media reports on his arrest. A Serco spokesman said an investigation was
under way into his employment.
November 3, 2011 The
Australian
A FEMALE security guard suffered head injuries when she was allegedly
bashed amid rising tensions among asylum-seekers at Western Australia's
Curtin Immigration Detention Centre. The woman's colleagues discovered her
semi-conscious in a laundry room in the centre's accommodation compound at
about 3am yesterday. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship said a
small fire also had been lit in a washing machine in the laundry room,
escalating fears of further attempts to burn down buildings. Centre sources
told The Australian there were rising tensions at the centre with staff
worried that a full-scale riot would break out. There had been several
incidents in recent days, The Australian was told. The centre was reopened
last year by the federal government.
September 7, 2011 ABC
A parliamentary committee has heard many of the Christmas Island detention
centre staff have not had the necessary training to deal with detainees'
high rates of self harm and attempted suicide. The committee, which is assessing
the impact of mandatory detention, spent two days inspecting the facilities
and talking to workers there. The committee's deputy chair, Greens Senator
Sarah Hanson-Young says because of the island's remoteness and the
stressful nature of the work, it is difficult to recruit staff with the
mental health skills needed. "Many of the workers in the centres are
getting on the job training yet they are dealing with very vulnerable
people," she said. "We had one man attempt to hang himself while
we were visiting the facility and of course that happens to be a daily
occurrence." The committee will tour the Curtin detention centre in
Western Australia's far north near Derby, today. The joint select committee
is visiting detention centres across Australia, assessing a range of issues
relating to the cost, impact and effectiveness of mandatory detention. The
group will also look at the role of government agencies and private
contractors within the detention network, before making their
recommendations to parliament. They are expected to hold talks with local
hospital staff and workers from Serco which operates the Curtin facility.
August 25, 2011 The
West Australian
A former Serco employee at Curtin Detention Centre says treatment of
detainees by some staff members was "outrageously brutal" and
they were bullied constantly. Seven asylum seekers were flown from Curtin
and put in isolation on Christmas Island on Tuesday night because of
increased tensions at the remote centre, 40km from Derby. The Immigration
Department confirmed two men tried to escape on Friday. They climbed an
internal fence but did not get past the electric perimeter fence. A
spokeswoman denied the men were injured in the incident and said they were
not among three detainees denied treatment at Broome Hospital on Tuesday
for speaking to a member of the public in a waiting room. The former
employee, who recently resigned and asked not to be named, spoke of growing
tensions at Curtin where there were three staff who had "no training,
no idea and no perceived intention to provide any welfare" to
detainees. "The fact two Serco guards have committed suicided since
April is evidence that not everyone can live with this on their
conscience," they said. An elderly Afghan man who had asked in July to
be moved to a single room because he believed he "smelled" - a
problem attributed to mental health issues - was manhandled by staff. They
claimed a department case manager and Serco welfare officer called the man
a liar after a short interview and, as he tried to leave the room, two
"burly" Serco guards shoved him to the ground. He spent four days
in hospital with back injuries, the former employee said. Employees were
scared to talk to anyone outside the centre about such incidents,
particularly the media, for fear of being identified or sacked. "The
expulsion of the Serco man at Christmas Island recently and the sacking of
the mental health nurse from Darwin last week is evidence that it is a real
threat," they said. Habib, 28, an Afghan asylum seeker released in
July after 15 months in detention, fears for friends inside. He said some
staff were uncaring and detainees were scared to speak out in case it affected
their status. Many were depressed after waiting many months for interviews.
The immigration spokeswoman rejected claims detainees were treated badly.
"We require that our staff and Serco staff treat detainees with
dignity and respect," she said. There were complaint processes and
allegations were always investigated. She said there were no recent
complaints of mistreatment.
August 23, 2011 ABC
A refugee advocacy group says three Curtin detention centre detainees were
denied medical treatment for talking to a member of the public at a
hospital waiting room. Police and the Immigration Department have confirmed
a confrontation happened at Broome regional hospital this morning as the
detainees waited for appointments. An argument broke out between refugee
advocate Jackie Rehmani and Servo security guards supervising the men. Ms
Rehmani says the trouble began when Serco staff told her not to speak to
the detainees. "At this point the guards became more irate and asked
me to leave and to desist talking to the detainees," she said.
"All I was doing was asking them their names, how long they'd been in
detention and the officers were very aggressive and intimidatory towards
the detainees." Ms Rehmani says it was a distressing scene. "The
senior officer left to call the centre management and then (they were)
taken out of the hospital and were taken back to the detention
centre," she said. "These people get poor health care as it is
and their specialist medical appointments were cancelled simply because a
member of the public was talking to them." Police were called to
attend but say no-one was charged. A spokeswoman for the Immigration
Department says the Serco staff stopped the conversation to protect the
privacy of the detainees.
July 11, 2011 The
Australian
THE company running Australia's immigration detention centres has
acknowledged the work is traumatic for staff following the death of a young
guard troubled by the hanging of a teenage asylum-seeker. Kieran Webb died
while holidaying with his family last Wednesday after working for six
months as a security officer at the Curtin immigration detention centre in
Western Australia's far north, according to a memo to all staff from
government contractor Serco last Friday. There were no suspicious
circumstances, Serco Immigration Services managing director Chris Manning
wrote in the memo. "If you feel the need for emotional support arising
from the work you do, please consider speaking to someone," he said.
"It is important we acknowledge that our line of work can at times
place us in difficult and traumatic situations as we manage vulnerable
people in our care." Five detainees have killed themselves in
immigration detention centres since last September. Self-harm and threats
of self-harm occur daily, and a psychologist is employed full-time by Serco
to help guards deal with the fallout of acts such as lip-sewing, slashing
and attempted hangings. The Australian has been told detainees are taking
increasingly dramatic steps to draw attention to their grievances. On
Christmas Island last Thursday, a detainee sewed his lips together and had
a friend tie him to the compound fence in a crucifix position. On March 28,
Mr Webb was among guards who cut down a 19-year-old Afghan detainee who
hanged himself in his room. Mr Webb was deeply affected by the death and by
the unrest that followed, according to guards who worked alongside him at
the time.
April 25, 2011 The
Age
DETENTION centres on both sides of the country were in turmoil last night,
with three detainees maintaining a roof-top protest at Sydney's Villawood
facility and hunger strikes under way at the Curtin Centre in Western
Australia. The Sydney protesters - now in their sixth day on the roof at
Villawood - claimed they are prepared to die unless their demands for
asylum in Australia are met. One of the men, Majid Parhizkar, a 24-year-old
Iranian, said the three were ''sick, hungry, cold, wet and dizzy'', having
had nothing but water since last Wednesday. He said he would not come down
until the Department of Immigration granted him a bridging visa that would
allow him to stay in Australia with his mother, sister and brother. It was
his second visa application rejection, 10 days ago, that prompted him to
protest. The other two men - stateless Kurds Mehdi and Amir - want a
meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A protest
by refugee advocates has been planned for outside the gates of Villawood
today. The unrest spread to Western Australia's Curtin Air Base detention
centre over the weekend, and 16 refugee activists were arrested late
yesterday afternoon while blocking the access road to the centre. Ian
Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition, said a hunger strike and sit-in
involving about 300 detainees was expected to escalate.
February 4, 2011 The
Age
INTERPRETERS for asylum seekers on Christmas Island have been working
without accreditation or translating experience. A Melbourne interpreter
said unqualified staff were ill-equipped to deal with asylum seekers'
issues dispassionately. ''Some of the interpreters are not competent
because they are not actually interpreters,'' the source, who had worked on
Christmas Island, said. ''It's not up to Immigration. They are desperate.
The number of clients has gone up and demand is shocking.'' For certain
dialects, the interpreter said, it was impossible to meet demand from the
pool of trained professionals within Australia. The comments follow a
report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Allan Asher, which found asylum
seekers had been assigned interpreters who did not speak their language and
were recording incorrect information on their asylum claims. Amnesty
International Australia said the problems were common to detention centres
in Darwin and at Curtin in Western Australia.
August 29, 2010 Green
Left
On August 23, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) reported
that a 30-year-old man found unconscious in the Curtin Immigration
Detention Centre in Western Australia had died. After his collapse on
August 21, the man was taken to Derby hospital, 40 kilometres away. That
night, he was transferred to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, more
than 2000km south of Derby. He died the next day. DIAC would not tell Green
Left Weekly the man’s name, but said it didn’t believe there were
suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. A Coronial inquiry will be
held. Ian Rintoul, Refugee Action Coalition spokesperson, said on August
23: “This man’s death raises yet more questions about remote detention
centres. “It seems highly likely that if this man had been living in the
community, the medical services to treat any medical condition and the
emergency services needed to save his life may have been available for him.
We want to see a complete medical audit of all the detention centres.”
Under the former Howard Coalition government, immigration detention
services were outsourced to GSL (Australia) Pty Ltd. GSL subcontracted
medical services to International Medical Health Services (IHMS). Numerous
reports exposed the handballing of responsibility under this arrangement.
Curtin, Woomera and Baxter detention centres were shut down in an aura of
shame. (The federal Labor government re-opened Curtin in June.) Despite its
promises to end outsourcing of immigration detention services, the Rudd
Labor government simply changed the service provider to SERCO, and
contracted directly with IHMS to provide general and mental health care.
GLW was unable to find an IHMS webpage, or any description of its services.
When asked about healthcare arrangements at Curtin, and specifically whether
there was a resident doctor, the DIAC spokesperson simply told GLW: “Curtin
immigration detention centre (IDC) provides mental health support teams and
medical staff.”
Darwin Airport Lodge
Detention Centre, Darwin,
Australia
January 5, 2012 North Territory
News
THE Territory Coroner has called for a review into the number of nurses
working at a Darwin prison after a man "suddenly" died of a heart
attack in custody. Joanne Michel, health services manager at Darwin
Corrections Centre, told a coronial inquest that there was only one nurse
on duty when a young father died on a day she described as a
"disaster". Ms Michel wrote a letter to her manager about
under-staffing at the prison as a "cry for help" after the
33-year-old man's death on March 12 last year. "It was me venting my
frustration," she said in November last year. NT Coroner Greg Cavanagh
found yesterday that "no one was at fault" but said lessons could
be learnt from the tragedy. He recommended that the NT Health Department
review the "appropriate" nurse-to-patient ratio at the prison -
that can house up to 700 inmates. He also asked the department to take into
account the country's "best practice" when negotiating contracts
for the prison's health services. "The tender process should reflect the
fact that the Territory prison population is over 80 per cent
Aboriginal," he said. The inquest also heard that nursing staff could
not contact on-call doctor Carol Tainsch on that day because she couldn't
hear her phone ring. Mr Cavanagh said it was "entirely
unsatisfactory" that an after hours doctor could not be reached at the
weekend. But he said: "I am not able to say whether the failure of
nursing staff to reach Dr Tainsch made any difference to the tragic
outcome." Mr Cavanagh also recommended that the Government implement a
protocol that would give nurses more than one number to call for an after
hours doctor.
December 12, 2011 The
Daily Telegraph
RIOTING asylum seekers have caused almost $20 million in damage to
immigration detention centres - nearly double original estimates. New
Department of Immigration figures show five riots at Villawood in Sydney,
Christmas Island and Darwin have cost an estimated $17.6 million - and that
could rise. The most damage was caused at Villawood with the repair bill
reaching $9.271 million. While insurance will cover much of the costs, the
government revealed it would be liable for the first $1 million of each
claim, or 10 per cent of the total bill. According to documents released
last Friday night, the cost of the Christmas Island riot in March is now
estimated at $5.05 million - double the original figure of $2.5 million.
The government claimed the subsequent riots at Villawood, when inmates set
fire to several buildings a month later, will cost 50 per cent more than
the $6 million originally estimated. There were two riots also at Darwin
and another at Christmas Island. "The total cost of estimated damage
across all five events as of October 14, 2011, is $17,636,366," the
department said. "This estimate is likely to change as quotations for
repairs are obtained and works undertaken." The revised costs follow
the release of an independent report last week which suggested overcrowding
was the cause of the tension and unrest and the trigger for the riots. But,
it found no fault with the Department of Immigration or the detention
centre operator, Serco. A spokesman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen
said, "This government's contracts with Serco require it to have full
private insurance cover of its facilities, which is why the costs to the
Commonwealth relating to damage caused at detention centres are so low.
"In its hypocritical hysteria, the Coalition seems to have forgotten
its record of passing on the costs of detention riots to the taxpayer: they
had four detention centre riots in a single month - December 2002 - at a
cost of many millions."
September
20, 2011 AAP
Three asylum seekers are on the run in Darwin after slipping away from
a weekend church service. The Vietnamese men were part of a group of 50
Christians who were allowed to attend the Catholic church service on
Sunday, escorted by security guards. But part way through the service it is
believed the men left the church and have not been seen since. A
spokeswoman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) said
local and federal police had been called in to try and locate the men.
"When the service finished the detention services provider staff
identified that the three detainees were missing," the spokeswoman
said. "The department views any escape from our immigration detention
facilities very seriously," she said. DIAC has called for an
investigation and report that will include details of the guarding and
security arrangements in place at the time of the escape.
August 19,
2011 The Age
A MENTAL health nurse has been sacked from a Darwin detention centre for
saying she believes mandatory detention contributes to mental illness in
asylum seekers. A letter sent by her employer, International Health and
Medical Services (IHMS), and obtained by The Age, says her job was
terminated last Friday after Serco detention centre managers and
Immigration Department staff complained that she was ''expressing negative
political opinions'' about detention. The federal government's Detention
Health Advisory Group, the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses and
the Australian Psychological Society yesterday called for mandatory
detention to be abandoned. Their call came after documents submitted to a
parliamentary inquiry showed high levels of self-harm, with 213 detainees
treated for self-inflicted injuries and 700 for ''voluntary starvation'' in
the first six months of this year. The chairwoman of the advisory group,
Professor Louise Newman, said she was concerned that a political view could
be held against a health worker. IHMS spokeswoman Melissa Lysaght said last
night that staff were entitled to political opinions but needed to work in
a team environment. ''In fact, that is not a reason for terminating
someone, because everyone is entitled to a political opinion,'' Ms Lysaght
said. ''In hindsight, the phrasing of the letter was incorrect.'' She said
the woman had been sacked for professional standards reasons, after working
there for two weeks. Amanda Gordon, of the Australian Psychological
Society, said yesterday there was clear scientific evidence of the harm
caused by indefinite detention, which ''exacerbates trauma, and creates
mental illness, in contravention of the government's own commitment to
reduce it''. Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton said
yesterday his attack on the mandatory detention policy at the AMA's
parliamentary dinner this week had been prompted by ''terrible stories''
being reported by paediatricians and psychiatrists who went inside
detention centres. Dr Paul Bauert, director of paediatrics at the Royal
Darwin Hospital, said children as young as four and five had been caught up
in hunger strikes that their parents were involved in, and were treated at
his hospital. ''They weren't eating and required intravenous and gastric
drips,'' he said.
August 14, 2011 North
Territory News
DETENTION centre staff in Darwin are allegedly afraid to go to work
following a melee in the Northern Immigration Detention Centre on Friday
morning. Two Burmese detainees have been charged with assault over the
incident. A source said Serco staff have cancelled night shifts after one
guard was taken to hospital with cuts to the head and 11 other guards were
allegedly assaulted. The two detainees will appear in the Darwin
Magistrates Court tomorrow. The Australian Federal Police said it was
inappropriate to comment because they were still investigating and the
Immigration Department declined to comment because of the charges. The
incident happened between 1am and 4am. The two men have been held in
Australian detention for more than 21 months and are awaiting security
clearance. Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network spokesman Carl
O'Connor said the detainees rang him after the incident looking to complain
to police. One of the men allegedly told DASSAN that two guards
"covered us and the rest others twist from leg, twist my hands and
push down the floor". "A male supervisor stepped on my stomach
and stepped again on my cheek with his knee, while another one strangle from
my throat." DASSAN spokeswoman Emma Murphy said the wait in detention
centres is causing distress and tension, and is a cause of recent suicide
attempts.
August 12, 2011 ABC
The Immigration Department has refused to provide further detail about
an incident at Darwin's detention centre that has sent a worker to
hospital. The department says a number of other staff working for SERCO -
the company that runs the centre - sustained minor injuries in the
incident. A department spokesman says Australian Federal Police are investigating,
but no further detail is being provided about the nature of the incident or
the seriousness of the injuries. The news comes as an asylum seeker alleges
brutality inside the detention centre. A detainee says he was bashed by
SERCO staff after taking part in a peaceful rooftop protest. The
Immigration Department says its been made aware of the allegations but has
no reports of injuries to asylum seekers. It will not say whether the two
incidents are linked.
February 11, 2011 AAP
ELEVEN asylum-seekers have been charged after a disturbance involving
about 40 detainees at one of Darwin's detention centres. The 11 males were
taken to the Darwin watchhouse this morning following the latest in a
series of incidents at the Darwin Airport Lodge detention centre, which is
used to house asylum-seeker families and unaccompanied minors. They were
later charged under section 197B of the Migration Act in relation to the
possession of a weapon as a detainee and were due to appear in the Darwin Magistrates
Court this afternoon. The charges come after authorities revealed that six
asylum-seekers had been hospitalised in the past three days as a result of
several "scuffles" between detainees at the detention centre.
Three of the injured detainees have since been returned to the detention
centre. An immigration spokesman confirmed there had been "previous
scuffles" between detainees in the days leading up to the incident.
Late yesterday afternoon a disturbance at the same centre involving several
asylum-seekers led to unrest between other detainees, the spokesman said.
The spokesman confirmed about 20 detainees started protest action just
outside the perimeter. He said police and staff engaged the group, brought
the situation under control quickly and returned the detainees to the
facility.
May 16, 2010 Northern
Territory News
A CHINESE woman was still on the run last night - two days after she
escaped detention from a Darwin motel. The Immigration Department confirmed
the woman slipped away from the motel on Thursday morning and is yet to be
found. The same firm, Serco, that allowed eight people to flee from
Sydney's Villawood detention centre, is being blamed for her escape. A
source told the Sunday Territorian that federal police had detained the woman
and a Chinese man at Darwin airport after the pair allegedly arrived from a
Bali flight with fake passports. The source said the woman had to be rushed
to hospital when she panicked and swallowed a ring at the airport. She was
allegedly left unattended at the hospital before she was moved to the
Darwin motel and put into the care of security guards. The man is still
believed to be in detention.
Docklands
Light Railway, London, England
May 13, 2010 London Evening
Standard
Docklands Light Railway operator Serco has been fined £450,000 after it
failed to stop a train which hit and killed a man who had fallen off a
platform. Robert Carter, 34, stumbled on to the lines at All Saints station
following a late-night argument with another passenger, Paul Green. Mr Green
telephoned police to say Mr Carter had a knife and had fallen on to the
track. Officers asked the DLR control room to check if someone was on the
lines, but this was treated as an “informal request” rather than an actual
report, Southwark Crown Court was told. A control room operator failed to
see Mr Carter on the track and did not halt the trains, which are automatic
and do not have an actual driver. Shortly afterwards another member of the
control room staff saw a police officer on All Saints station's CCTV waving
his arms above his head. This operator immediately pressed an emergency
plunger to halt an oncoming train but it was too late. The wheels struck Mr
Carter, who suffered serious injuries and died in hospital. Serco was also
ordered to pay £43,773 costs. It was found guilty last month, under health
and safety regulations, of failing to ensure its automatic trains did not
hit people who were on the tracks. Judge Deborah Taylor, passing sentence
yesterday, said: “Serco fell considerably below what was required of it.”
Procedures were “not robust or comprehensive enough” in dealing with
incidents of human error. But the judge said it was clear that Serco “took
safety seriously “ and there was “no suggestion profit was put before
safety”. David Travers, QC, prosecuting for the Office of Rail Regulation,
said Mr Carter was involved in an altercation with another passenger at All
Saints. “After he fell, it would appear that Mr Carter was unable or
unwilling to move — whether through injuries from the fall, intoxication or
for some other reason is unknown,” said Mr Travers. “DLR staff looked at
the station on their CCTV monitors, which are not suitable for seeing if
anyone is on the track, and failed to see Mr Carter. The train which killed
Mr Carter could have been stopped before reaching the station.” Jurors were
played a recording of the British Transport Police call to the DLR control
centre, in which line controller Paul Day was heard to say: “There's
certainly no one on the track.” Stephen Moody, for Serco, said it had made
several changes since the incident and improved safety procedures. It
denied one count of failing to comply with its health and safety duties.
Doncaster Prison, South Yorkshire, UK
Jan
30, 2020 theguardian.com
700
inmates doubled up in single cells at Doncaster prison, inspectors find
Chief
inspector criticises ‘sophistry’ of claims jails are under nominal capacity
Inspectors
discovered that 700 prisoners were doubling up in cells designed to hold
one person at a “badly overcrowded” private jail in South Yorkshire where
five inmates took their own lives in the space of a year. Widespread drug
use, self-harm and “worrying” levels of violence were also found at
Doncaster prison, a report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons says.
Doncaster, which opened in 1994, is one of five jails run by the
outsourcing firm Serco. The chief inspector of prisons, Peter Clarke, said:
“[The] dangerous combination of ready availability of drugs, lack of any
meaningful way to pass the time and overcrowding will obviously give rise
to tensions and frustration, particularly with such a young population. As
such, it was hardly surprising that at times staff struggled to maintain
control.” There were 1,100 prisoners in the prison at the time of the inspection
in September last year, just shy of its operational capacity of 1,145, the
report says. However, the jail’s in-use certified normal capacity – a
measure that strips out segregation units, healthcare cells, damaged cells
and cells closed due to building works or staff shortages – was 729. Clarke
said: “I saw many cells holding two people that were simply not fit to do
so, on grounds of both size and simple decency. It will not be good enough,
in response to this situation, for HM Prison and Probation Services (HMPPS)
to fall back upon their usual explanation that a senior manager has
certified that a certain number of prisoners – in this case 1,145 – could
in their view be held in decent conditions in this establishment. “The
sophistry that flows from this is that, in the view of HMPPS, conditions
such as those at Doncaster are described as crowded but not overcrowded,
and that there is therefore little or no overcrowding across the prison
estate.” The report says the overcrowded conditions for many were
compounded by a lack of meaning activity, and too many inmates were locked
up for too long. “Inspectors saw many men – in a population with around a
third aged under 25 – with little meaningful to do,” Clarke said. He said
there were five self-inflicted deaths in the year leading up to the
inspection and one more shortly after the inspection. The number of
self-harm incidents had increased, he said. Inspectors found that
recommendations made by the prisons and probation ombudsman, which
investigates deaths in custody, and learning points from previous deaths at
the prison were not routinely reviewed. The number of prisoners on
assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) support – the care planning
process for prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm –
was high to the point that it was “unmanageable”. Assaults had decreased
but were still higher than at the time of the previous inspection in 2017
and higher than at comparable prisons, the report says. Six in 10 prisoners
said it was easy to get hold of drugs, a “very high” figure, the inspection
found. Inspectors assessed the prison to be reasonably good in the “healthy
prison test” for respect. Its rehabilitation and release planning was also
reasonably good in a prison with a complex population. Frances Crook, the
chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “We all want
to reduce crime, and we all want people leaving prison to become
law-abiding citizens who have turned their lives around. But we will not
achieve this if we continue to cram prisons with more and more people than
they are designed to hold. “The chief inspector is entirely right to call
out the ‘sophistry’ that leads to 1,100 men being thrown into a jail meant
for 700, and his demand for change must be heard and acted upon. Finding an
answer to the problems in prisons such as Doncaster is one of the biggest
challenges in the secretary of state for justice’s in-tray as the
government starts to look beyond Brexit. The solution begins with a
commitment to reduce the number of people behind bars.” Phil Copple, the
director general of prisons, said: “Since the inspection a new safety
management team has been put in place to drive down violence and vulnerable
prisoners are being given better support. “We recognise that crowding is a
major challenge for some prisons across the estate but we are investing up
to £2.5bn in an extra 10,000 places, in addition to the 3,360 places in new
jails at Wellingborough and Glen Parva. “While there is much work to be
done at HMP Doncaster, we are pleased inspectors have the confidence in
Serco and the staff to deliver improvements.” Jerry Spencer, Serco’s
contract director at HMP Doncaster, said: “Doncaster prison holds one of
the most complex and challenging groups of prisoners in the country.
“During the inspection, the chief inspector saw how determined everyone
here is to improve on the challenges we face and clearly there is much to
do, but we share his optimism for the future.”
Oct
21, 2017 ekklesia.co.uk
Jury finds prison failings 'causative' of prisoner's death
Following a five day inquest at Doncaster Coroner’s Court, a jury found
that the failures of Serco and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to deal
with bullying, violence and substance abuse at HMP Doncaster were causative
of the death of Gerard Scahill on 22 April 2016. Gerry was a vulnerable man
with a long history of mental health issues and substance abuse, who was
serving a nine year sentence at HMP Doncaster. On his entry to HMP
Doncaster in October 2015, prison and healthcare staff were made aware of
threats to Gerard Scahill by prison gangs, and during his stay became aware
of his use of ‘spice’ and his history of mental health issues. During his
stay, Scahill raised concerns about
his welfare to prison staff. On three occasions, in the period leading to
his death, he reported to the prison staff that he was under threat and
scared for his safety. On one occasion, he had to be returned to his wing
under prison escort and he subsequently refused to leave his cell for two
days. Notwithstanding his reports, there was no record that prison staff
conducted any investigation, or put in place any safeguards for him. The
jury heard new psychoactive substances (NPS) known as ‘spice’ are currently
rife in prison. Studies suggest that ‘spice’ and other NPS exacerbate
mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety and can lead to
self-harm, and debt. On 23 March 2016 staff found Scahill under the
influence of ‘spice’. He also reported to healthcare staff that he was
taking NPS on most days, and as much as he could “get hold of”. Despite
this, he was never referred to the substance misuse team, who were able to
offer psychotherapy treatment for NPS use. On 22 April 2016, Gerard Scahill
was found hanged in his cell. Though both Prison Officers and paramedics
attempted to revive him they were unsuccessful. In a narrative conclusion
critical of the prison, the jury found, that: Nottinghamshire Healthcare
NHS Trust did not adequately and effectively manage Gerard Scahill's use of
‘spice’ and this was causative of his death. Serco prison staff did not
adequately and effectively manage the threats and bullying that Scahill
reported, and this was also causative of death. Non causative failures
regarding training on the unlock procedure. The jury could not be certain
that Scahill intended to kill himself. Gerard Scahill's family are
understandably devastated by his death but are pleased that the jury
identified the failings that led to hid death. They hope that HMP Doncaster,
private prison providers and contractors, and the wide prison service will
now implement changes to ensure that incidents like this are not repeated.
Jenny Fraser, solicitor for the family, said, “Sadly this is yet another
death at a private prison, and it’s welcome that the jury have clearly
identified the significant failings of both Serco and Nottinghamshire
Healthcare NHS Trust towards the people in their custody”.
Mar 9, 2016 independent.co.uk
Violence, hostage taking and gang attacks rife in private prison, report
finds
Staff shortages at one of Britain’s most modern jails run by the
private-sector Serco has left wardens overwhelmed by high levels of
violence, hostage-taking and gang assaults on its wings, an inspection
report reveals today. Conditions at Doncaster prison – one of five run by
the company which has a £3.5bn turnover – were so poor that inspectors
spotted mice, cockroaches, missing window panes and exposed wires at the
purpose-built prison. Inspectors said that violence was unacceptably high
despite prison numbers being cut by 100 to try to deal with the deep-seated
problems. Three inmates killed themselves in the past 18 months The
Government has focused on problems within Victorian prisons. But
campaigners said that conditions at Doncaster – one of 14 run privately –
highlighted the extent of problems at new jails blighted by staff shortages
and lack of investment. “Today’s report emphasises how misleading it is to
blame the prison system’s failings on Victorian jails,” said Frances Crook,
of the Howard League for Penal Reform. “If old buildings were the problem,
we would be tearing down Oxbridge. Doncaster is a big, new, private prison,
opened in 1994, but it is already infested with vermin. Prisons with too
many prisoners and too few staff will fail, no matter how old they are.”
The problems at Doncaster represent a case study of Prime Minister David
Cameron’s complaint last month about the shameful level of prison violence,
drug-taking and self-harm as he announced a shake-up of prisons and the
treatment of inmates. Serco was awarded a new 15-year £250m contract from
2011 to run the prison, which holds more than 1,000 inmates, and said that
it would “continue to ensure that it is a safe, secure, decent, efficient
and responsible establishment”. But inspectors highlighted a raft of
failures at the prison including attacks by gangs of men, persistent
bullying and at least three hostage incidents. Nearly half of inmates
thought it was easy to get drugs. Some prisoners said they were too frightened
to leave their cells. Last year a convicted burglar, Keiron Simpson, killed
a man with a single punch in an apparently motiveless attack in the prison.
“The lack of staff was a critical problem,” the report said. Hospital
appointments for sick inmates had to be cancelled because of a lack of
escort staff to take them there. One prisoner, in a wheelchair, said he had
not had a shower for more than two years because the necessary alterations
had not been made. Juliet Lyon, director of the prison Reform Trust, said:
“Since its opening, Doncaster has been better known for its institutional
meanness and overcrowding than for the efficiency and innovation promised,
but not always delivered, by the private sector.” Serco’s record has been
mixed. Inspectors said that one of its institutions for sex offenders was
very good, while violence at others was assessed to be too high. Julia
Rogers, of Serco, said: “We are continuing to address the issues raised in
this inspection and safety has improved, violence is gradually reducing and
the house blocks have been refurbished.” A Ministry of Justice spokesperson
said: “We will be investing £1.3bn to transform the prison estate over the
next five years, to better support rehabilitation and tackle bullying,
violence and drugs.”
November 3, 2010 The Star
A DISGRACED prison officer who was handed a suicide note by an inmate put
it in his manager's 'in tray' to be dealt with the next morning. By that
time Shaun Flanagan, aged 26, was dead - just three days after being locked-up
on a charge of driving while disqualified. An inquest at Doncaster
Coroner's Court was told prison officer Russell Calladine admitted he was
too frightened to enter the cell where Mr Flanagan hanged himself in June
2006. Instead, he waited until colleagues at
arrived a few minutes later before
helping to cut the prisoner's noose. It has taken more than four years for
evidence about Mr Flanagan's last hours to be heard in public, by a jury of
four women and three men. Mr Flanagan, of South Street, Highfields, was
supposed to be checked in his cell every 30 minutes because he was
detoxifying from drug addiction. But questions have been raised about the
checks carried out by Mr Calladine, who has since been sacked.
July 23, 2010 The Star
PRISONER-on-prisoner violence has more than doubled in Doncaster Prison
last year after bosses put all the young offenders together. The figures
for assaults reported at the Marshgate jail soared to 412 in 2009, compared
to 192 in 2008. The figure was more than three time the 2007 figure of 127.
The revelation comes as figures obtained by The Star under the Freedom of
Information Act revealed there were 1,149 attacks on prisoners by other
inmates over the last three years. Lindholme Prison saw the fewest, with
156 over three years, with 47 in 2009, 57 in 2008 and 52 in 2007. Moorland
recorded 262, with 85 last year, 86 in 2008 and 91 in 2007. A Ministry of
Justice Spokesman said: "The rise on prisoner-on-prisoner assaults
recorded at HMP Doncaster in 2009 was due to restructuring in the prison
whereby its young offender population was relocated to a single block,
rather than dispersed among the adult population. This resulted in a
temporary spike in assaults and particularly fights among young offenders.
April 23, 2006 24 DASH
Prison officers are calling for all jail wardens to be better armed
claiming they should be given metal batons in order to defend themselves
from assault. The Prison Officers Association (POA) conference next month
will vote on whether the extendable baton should be allowed in many more
prisons. The union's national general secretary Brian Caton said he
supported the proposals and predicted the motions would be passed.
Currently, staff at private prisons such as Doncaster do not carry batons. "We
would say that's wrong," Mr Caton said. "Prisoners in private
prisons are no less violent, they're no less difficult. "You are twice
as likely to be attacked in a private prison as in a public prison. Last
July the Chief Inspector of Prisons warned that staff at a privately-run
prison were being bullied by inmates." Anne Owers demanded urgent
action after discovering unsafe conditions at Rye Hill jail, near Rugby in
Warwickshire, which is run by GSL UK Ltd. Inexperienced officers were
ignoring misbehaviour and evidence of contraband in order to
"survive" on the wings, the report said.
April 12, 2006 Politics.Co.UK
The government has been forced to defend its use of private contractors
to run Britain's prisons in the wake of a critical report from the chief
inspector. Anne Owers says that while Doncaster is "by no means a bad
local prison", where relationships with staff and inmates are
generally good, physical conditions are "sometimes squalid". Many
prisoners lack basics such as pillows, toilet seats and working
televisions, some cells are dirty and covered in graffiti, and she
highlights "institutional meanness" in making prisoners pay to
change their account number which allows them to call home. In her report,
Ms Owers notes the prison has good points, in particular in its
resettlement of offenders and community re-entry facilities, but warns the
problems were all in areas "not specifically mandated by the contract
under which the prison is run". "There remains a concern that, in
focusing on meeting their contractual obligations, prison managers had
allowed important areas to slip below what was safe and decent; and indeed
may have sought savings in precisely those areas," she said. Frances
Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, seized upon today's
report as an example of the "manifest failings of private
prisons". "It exposes the fallacy promulgated by the Home Office
that private prisons have helped to improve prison conditions, raised
standards or fostered advances in the decent treatment of prisoners and
staff. Doncaster shows that this is not the case," she said.
"Unsurprisingly, the chief inspector draws attention to the fact that
those areas in which the prison is failing are those in which it was not
contractually obliged by the Home Office to meet particular
standards."
April 12, 2006 The Mirror
DONCASTER prison has been described as "squalid" and showing
signs of "institutional meanness" in a damning report by the
jails' watchdog. Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers expressed concern that
prison chiefs had let standards slip at the 800-inmate jail and made
savings to meet Home Office contract targets. She claims the medium
security jail, which is run by private company Serco - formerly known as
Premier Prison Services - had deteriorated since it was last inspected in
2003. Her report said one example of "meanness" was charging
inmates 50 pence to change family telephone numbers on the automated phone
system, which was branded "particularly unfair" because of the shortage
of paying jobs in the jail. The chief inspector said: "Respect was
seriously undermined by the physical conditions in which many prisoners
lived, which in some cases were squalid. Many prisoners lacked pillows,
adequate mattresses, toilet seats, working televisions, notice-boards and
places to store belongings. "Some cells, especially on the young
prisoners' wing, were dirty and festooned with graffiti." First night
cells were "squalid" with no hot water, "lumps of foam"
as mattresses and "dirty" bedding, said the report. In other
areas, bedding was "heavily soiled". Ms Owers also pointed out
bullying problems were not properly addressed at the prison and only 29 per
cent of young ethnic minority prisoners reported that staff treated them
well. In 2003, Ms Owers said Doncaster was a good jail which needed to
increase the amount of purposeful activities available - such as work or
education - and improve first night facilities. On her return last
November, she found it had not tackled these problems and had slipped back
in a number of other areas. But, overall, she said Doncaster was "by
no means a bad prison". Making 156 recommendations for improvement, Ms
Owers said: "Our main concern was not only that managers had failed to
tackle problems we pointed out in our last inspection, but that the prison
had deteriorated in some important respects - all in areas not mandated in
the prison's contract. Yorkshire and Humberside regional offender manager,
Paul Wilson, said: "I am satisfied that Serco has responded quickly
and appropriately to the inspectorate's recommendations and that the
director and his staff are committed to continuous improvement of standards
of offender management."
May 6, 2005 The
Mirror
VALENTINE'S Day killer Paul Dyson slit his wrists and scrawled
"Sorry" on his jail cell wall before admitting responsibility for
his girlfriend Joanne Nelson's death. The former bouncer, charged earlier
this week, smuggled a small blade into his prison. A guard found him
slumped on the floor of his cell in the early hours. Doncaster Prison,
where Dyson is being held, opened nine years ago and was Britain's first
private jail. It is run by Premier Prisons, which is partly American owned.
The jail has been hit by controversy in the past, with allegations of
bullying and high numbers of suicides.
Dovegate Prison, Staffordshire, United
Kingdom
Sep 8, 2018 derbytelegraph.co.uk
Female HMP Dovegate prison officer accused of
inappropriate relationships with inmates
A female prison officer has become the fourth worker
in nine months to be arrested for alleged 'inappropriate relationships'
with inmates at HMP Dovegate. It is understood the latest suspect has
resigned and been banned from working in prisons. Prison campaigners say
the number of alleged misconduct cases at the Category B jail is 'a cause
for concern'. Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at the Howard League
for Penal Reform, said: "There will always be a risk of staff forming
inappropriate relationships with prisoners, although the fact Dovegate has
seen a number of (suspected) cases of late should be a cause for concern.
"The reason why this might have happened is harder to pin down without
more information. Several staff members have faced misconduct allegations
in the last year.
"In general, both public and private prisons
have seen an influx of new, inexperienced staff in recent times, and there
is a risk that newer recruits are more susceptible to being drawn into
misconduct with prisoners." Dovegate, which counts murderers and sex
offenders among its 1,147 inmates, is run by private firm Serco on a
Government contract. Since November last year, four workers have faced
police action for alleged inappropriate relationships with prisoners. One
arrested last year was accused of relationships with 'more than one
prisoner' and 'trafficking illicit items' into the facility. It is thought
the prison, which is just outside Marchington, is now tightening up its
recruitment process. A Serco spokesman said: "We can confirm there is
an ongoing investigation into this matter, but do not wish to comment
further." A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "Officers from
Staffordshire Police arrested a 38-year-old woman from Cannock at Dovegate
Prison on Thursday, August 23, on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
"She has been released under investigation pending further
enquiries." It comes months after prison officer Adrian Kedzierski,
50, of Craven Street, Burton, was jailed for 40 months for smuggling mobile
phones and Class B drugs into Dovegate. Prison carpentry teacher Andrew
Julian, 32, of Main Street, Bradbourne, was jailed last month after
cannabis valued at nearly £60,000 was found in his locker. A Staffordshire
Police spokesman said: "On November 25, 2017, a 28-year-old woman from
Newcastle-under-Lyme was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public
office. "She was subsequently released under investigation and as the
investigation is ongoing, there is no further update at this time. "On
January 26, a 25-year-old woman from Newcastle-under-Lyme was arrested on
suspicion of misconduct in a public office. "She was subsequently
released under investigation and, as the investigation is on-going, there
is no update at this time. "On January 30, a 21-year-old woman from
Burton was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and
conveying an article into a prison. She was subsequently released under
investigation and as the investigation is on-going, there is no update at
this time." One of the workers arrested was a prison officer, one was
a nurse contracted to Care UK and the role of the third staff member is
unknown. The Burton Mail and Uttoxeter Advertiser have contacted
Staffordshire Police for updates on their cases, but have yet to receive a
response. The latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) stats show HMP Dovegate is
just 13 prisoners shy of its 1,160-inmate limit. That means it is running
at 99 per cent of its capacity and way over the 1,064-inmate limit the MoJ
earmarks for a "good, decent standard of accommodation".
Jan 8, 2017 dailystar.co.uk
Jail racket busted: Tennis balls used to smuggle
drugs into Staffordshire prison
BUSTED: Eight drug packages were smuggled into HMP
Dovegate inside of tennis balls. The eight packages had been served up over a perimeter fence early on
Christmas Eve. Officers at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire found them outside
the jail’s L wing after getting a tip off. Each ball had been opened,
packed with drugs and sewn together again. They were then hurled over the
fence from the public side of the category B unit. “Everybody was walking
around shouting ‘balls please’”. “It’s one of the more unusual techniques used to smuggle drugs. “But a
tennis ball is the ideal object to throw long distances and is pretty
inconspicuous. “The theory is an inmate was waiting for the delivery but
officers got there first.” The consignment was mainly made up of so-called
“legal highs” including Spice. The discovery was made at the private jail,
run by Serco, at 8am on December 24.Staff also found a white iPhone during
a search. Staffordshire police have now launched their own investigation.
Glyn Travis, from the Prison Officers Association, said: “Criminals will
use all means to smuggle contraband. “This haul of drugs and mobiles was
stopped because of the professional action of staff. “But, because of cuts
and lower staff numbers, it is harder to stop smuggling.” Dovegate, near
Uttoxeter, opened in 2001 and has room for 1,060 inmates.
Feb 13, 2016 bbc.com
Legal highs may have sparked HMP Dovegate riot
Serco said it was "working extremely hard"
to address the issues at HMP Dovegate. So-called legal highs could have sparked a riot at Dovegate Prison in
Staffordshire, a report has found. Six prisoners took over a residential
wing last March. A "catastrophic failure of basic security
procedure" allowed a convicted robber to escape in May, independent
inspectors said. The use of so-called legal highs led to widespread debt,
bullying and violence among inmates, inspectors found. Serco said the report
recognised challenges of psychoactive substances. The Independent
Monitoring Board annual report said: "Assaults and weapon finds still
give rise for concern." In the nine months to the end of September
2015 there were 38 assaults on staff by prisoners and 106 assaults between
inmates. There were 45 fights and 136 weapon finds, the report said. New
psychoactive substances "could well have been a major contributing
factor" for the events of 26 March, said the report. Six prisoners
caused "significant interruption to the prison regime" and the
National Offender Management service's riot unit, known as the Tornado
team, was called in to restore order.
May 29, 2015 independent.co.uk
Violent robber ‘walks out door’ of Serco-run private prison
A “violent” robber managed to escape from a
high-security prison run by the outsourcing giant Serco by walking out with
a group of people who were visiting him, The Independent has learnt. Haroon
Ahmed, 26, is being sought by police after escaping from HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire
on Wednesday. He had been in jail since 2008, after being convicted of
robbing a garage armed with a knife. Sources close to the prison, which has
been run by the private company Serco since it opened in 2001, said Ahmed
had managed to slip away unnoticed during visiting hours despite being on
the prison’s “watch list”. The extraordinary escape came just hours before
the publication of a report by the Government’s prisons watchdog which
raised concerns about “very tight” staffing levels at Dovegate. Inspectors
said that, on some occasions, entire wings of the prison had been left
unstaffed while inmates were out of their cells. Dovegate is a Category B
jail, designed to accommodate prisoners who are considered highly likely to
attempt escape. It currently holds more than 900 male inmates, most of whom
have been convicted of serious violent offences. One former member of staff
at the prison, who did not want to be named, told The Independent that
Ahmed should have had to pass through at least three locked doors to
escape. “He left the visits hall with his visitors and just walked out,
basically, which is shocking for a Cat B establishment,” they said. “He
never even used violence [to make his escape], and it’s very rare for this
to happen.” Haroon Ahmed, 26, is being sought by police after escaping from
HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire Haroon Ahmed, 26, is being sought by police
after escaping from HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire. Agreeing with inspectors
that staffing levels at the prison were too low, the source added: “The
situation at the moment is really bad – that’s why I feel it needs to be
put out there. The Ministry of Justice needs to do something about it.” The
source also claimed that corruption among prison staff was “rife”, with
guards earning money by smuggling items such as iPhones to prisoners, and
that reports detailing potential security problems at the jail often went
unread. Staffordshire Police said Ahmed, who is described as Asian, 6ft
tall with a thin build and short black hair in a crew cut, had escaped from
the prison at around 4.15pm on Wednesday wearing jeans and a grey T-shirt.
He is believed to be staying in the Derby area where he has “numerous
connections”. A spokesman for the force said: “Officers involved in the
search for him [on Thursday] arrested his brother, Majeed Ahmed, 25, of
Derby, and have charged him with assisting a prisoner in escaping from
prison. He has been released on bail to appear before magistrates on 25
June. “A black Volkswagen Golf was also recovered as part of the
investigation and will be subject to a detailed forensic examination. Due
to [Haroon Ahmed’s] conviction for a violent robbery we advise members of
the public not to approach him.” Michael Guy, Serco’s director at Dovegate,
said: “We are taking this extremely seriously and I have commissioned an
investigation into the circumstances of the escape. We are working closely
with the police to identify what went wrong and to address any failings.” A
spokesperson for the Prison Service said it was “working closely” with
police, adding: “Escapes from prison custody are extremely rare but we take
each one incredibly seriously. Public protection is our top priority.” When
prison inspectors visited the jail in January this year, they found high
levels of violence, bullying, unjustified segregation and poor visiting
arrangements. The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, said the
jail’s performance “had dipped” since the inspectors’ last visit, with a
new management team struggling to cope with an influx of violent inmates.
“Prisoners were left feeling … insecure because staffing on units was often
insufficient: we observed short periods when no staff were present on the
units, even though a number of prisoners were unlocked,” he wrote in his
report, published the day after Ahmed escaped. Inspectors praised the
prison’s good living conditions and its resettlement work, but recommended
that staffing levels on residential wings should be raised “to reassure
prisoners about their safety”. It is understood that the jail’s staffing
arrangements were already being reviewed by Serco before inspectors
visited. READ MORE: SERCO SHARES PLUNGE AFTER ISSUING FOURTH PROFIT WARNING
POLICE DROPS INVESTIGATION INTO SERCO'S PRISONER TRANSPORT CONTRACT SERCO
GIVEN YARL’S WOOD CONTRACT DESPITE ‘VAST FAILINGS’ SELF-HARMING AND ABUSE PREVALENT IN
PRIVATE PRISONS G4S YOUTH PRISON SLAMMED BY OFSTED REPORT Frances Crook,
chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Dovegate is
an overcrowded and understaffed private prison that has struggled to tackle
serious problems. Levels of violence and self-harm are high, and illicit
drugs are easy to obtain. “When inspectors visited, there were occasions
when they found no staff on the wings. This is particularly worrying in a
prison where four people took their own lives in 2013.” Responding to Mr
Hardwick’s report, Mr Guy said: “HMP Dovegate has recently faced a number
of significant challenges including an influx of category-B prisoners, many
of whom have been convicted of serious violent offences and a large number
of whom have mental health issues. “We are pleased that the report
recognises that we are focused on these challenges, that we have already
made a number of improvements and that we have realistic plans for the future.
We fully accept the recommendations… We know we have more to do.” Case
file: Robber on the run Haroon Ahmed was only 19 when in January 2008 he
robbed a garage in Derby at knifepoint. Shaun King, 20, was his
accomplice.Derby Crown Court heard that the pair had their faces covered
when they burst into the service station. “One of the men jumped on the
counter with the knife,” cashier Kulan Sakthy recalled later. “He shoved me
on to the counter and put the knife on my neck and said ‘Open the till’. I said,
‘What do you want me to do? Just don’t do anything to me’. It was
terrifying.” The men made off with £500, cigarettes and mobile phones, but
were arrested. Private prisons: previous scandals
* This month a report into Rainsbrook Secure
Training Centre in Northamptonshire found that children had been subjected
to “degrading treatment” and “racist comments” from staff under the
influence of illegal drugs. Six members of staff at the G4S-run jail were
sacked.
* Teenagers at a Serco-run Young Offender
Institution near Bristol were “exposed to unacceptable levels of violence”
by staff, inspectors said in 2013. HMP Ashfield is now an adult prison, but
is still managed by Serco.
* Inspectors found a prisoner had been held in a
“squalid” segregation cell for more than five years, at the women-only HMP
Bronzefield in 2013. Sodexo said that due to her complex needs “no other
option” was available.
August 14, 2010 The Sun
ONE of Damilola Taylor's killers is claiming £100,000 from prison bosses
for failing to stop a lag from slicing off one of his ears. Evil Ricky
Preddie, 23, was lured into his attacker's cell and hacked with a home-made
knife after a row over a game of pool. Doctors could not sew the lug back
on. Preddie is suing private firm Serco, which runs Dovecote Prison,
Staffs. Last night Damilola's dad called the claim "outrageous".
Richard, 62, said: "He doesn't deserve a penny. Ricky was attacked in
prison because he remains as arrogant as ever. "If he had been
sentenced properly - and by that I mean the death penalty - then he could
only launch his claim in hell." A Serco spokesman said: "Mr
Preddie made a complaint that we believe has no substance and have
refuted."
January 26, 2010 Derby Telegraph
A FORMER prison officer has appeared in court accused of helping an inmate
to escape from a Derbyshire jail. Andrea Clarke is also charged with
harbouring an escaped prisoner and leaving a prohibited article for
importation into prison. Clarke had been employed at the privately-run
Dovegate Prison. But the charges relate to the escape of an inmate from
Sudbury Prison, three miles away. The 36-year-old, of Burton, appeared at
Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court yesterday but entered no plea. The
case was committed to Derby Crown Court. Dovegate Prison, in Marchington,
near Uttoxeter, is a category B prison run by Serco. A spokesman for HMP
Dovegate said: "The individual concerned no longer works for Serco. We
continue to fully co-operate with the police."
December 17, 2009 Liverpool Daily Post
A LIVERPOOL prison is among five in the country allowing its inmates to
watch satellite television. More than 4,000 prisoners enjoy the privilege
in private jails nationwide. Altcourse Prison, in Fazakerley, is among the
contractor-run prisons allowing access to a “limited number” of satellite
channels. The number of prisoners allowed to watch satellite varies
according to behaviour. But Justice minister and city MP Maria Eagle
revealed the number was currently around 4,070. The Garston MP was
responding to a written question from Tory MP Philip Davies. She said no
inmates in public sector jails have access to satellite in their quarters.
But they do at Altcourse and other GS4-run prisons in South Wales and
Warwickshire. The other private prisons offering satellite television are
run by Serco in Staffordshire and Nottingham. Ms Eagle said: “In these
establishments, satellite television in cells is generally only available
to prisoners on the enhanced or standard level of the incentives and earned
privileges scheme.” There are 84,500 prisoners in England and Wales,
meaning around one in 20 has access to satellite TV.
December 8, 2009 Yorkshire Post
A JUDGE has urged a thorough investigation into how a dangerous
criminal was able to use a mobile phone in prison to organise the
punishment shooting of another man who might now lose a leg. Leyon Randall
was in Dovegate Prison, Staffordshire, serving an indeterminate jail
sentence for robbery, kidnap and firearms offences, at the time he arranged
the shooting of Geovannie Meade in Leeds in May this year. Yesterday
Randall and his brother Lloyd were both jailed for life at Leeds Crown
Court after being convicted by a jury of conspiracy to cause grievous
bodily harm with intent to Mr Meade. Judge Scott Wolstenholme said:
"It is a very serious situation." It appeared Leyon Randall was
able not only to communicate regularly via a mobile phone but to organise
the "ruthless shooting from the comfort of his jail cell using a mobile
phone he had had for weeks if not months". It was also suggested
during the case that had been done with the connivance of officers at the
jail. "That may be an outrageous lie but it is something I would have
thought needs thoroughly investigating," the judge added. He said the
shooting was carried out by Lloyd Randall because his brother believed Mr
Meade was spending too much time with his girlfriend Amy Farnhill. The fact
he was prepared to arrange such lethal violence to settle "petty
scores" confirmed the view he was dangerous. It also showed a mobile
phone in the wrong hands in prison could be a very dangerous weapon.
Sentencing both to life, the judge ordered Leyon Randall, 29, to serve a
minimum of eight years and Lloyd Randall, 29 of Recreation Street, Holbeck,
Leeds to a minimum of seven years in jail. Both denied any involvement in
the shooting. Susanna Holdsworth, 26, a care assistant, found guilty by the
jury of perverting the course of justice, was jailed for two years. She
gave Lloyd Randall an alibi for the time of the shooting. Farnhill, 18, was
cleared of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The jury heard from
David Dixon, prosecuting, that on May 9 Mr Meade was invited to Farnhill's
address in Lingfield Gate, Moortown, Leeds, but as he arrived in the early
hours he was approached by Lloyd Randall and another man, and was shot in
the leg by Randall. He had surgery in hospital and further operations since
but may still lose his leg. A spokesman for Serco which operates HMP
Dovegate said they had worked with West Yorkshire Police in the case:
"HMP Dovegate has a leading reputation for reducing and preventing the
use of illicit mobile phones. This year alone we have confiscated 46
illegal phones from prisoners or visitors."
September 11, 2009 Burton Mail
A PRIVATE prison near Burton says it has taken action on failings
surrounding the death of a prisoner last year. The inquest of Simon Coutts,
who was found hanged in his cell at HMP Dovegate, in Marchington, in June
last year, concluded yesterday at Stafford Coroner’s Court. The
29-year-old, originally from Manchester, was discovered by prison officers
with a ligature around his neck, days after receiving a ‘dear John’ letter
from his wife ending their relationship. Details of Coutts’ conviction or
how long he was serving were not disclosed at the hearing. The inquest
heard from DC Dave Johnstone, the investigating officer from Burton police,
that Coutts used a sheet and a towel, wrapped together using electric cable
as a ligature. This was fixed to a ligature point — consisting of a hook
attached to a small wooden block stuck to the wall using a powerful
adhesive glue — with shoe laces. DC Johnstone told the hearing that as well
as the hook on the cell wall, there were also makeshift shelves attached,
and a bird cage holding a budgerigar, which was permitted in the
‘therapeutic community’ (TC) which houses 200 of the prison’s 700 inmates.
Eric Pearson, the investigating officer for prison owner Serco, had told
the hearing the previous day that there had been ‘failings’ by prison
staff, whom he believed had not carried out cell checks on the night of
Coutts’ death. He said both the ligature point and toilet roll used to
block the cell door’s glass window should have been spotted and removed if
correct checks had been performed.
Dungavel
Immigration Centre, Scotland
May 19, 2010 Morning Star
Concrete evidence of the Con-Dem government's contempt for the most
vulnerable was already surfacing on Wednesday after one of their headline
pledges was shown to be a farce. Anger erupted among human rights
campaigners after it emerged that the coalition's announcement that it was
committed to ending child detention for immigration purposes had already
been severely undermined. Immigration Minister Damian Green boasted on
Wednesday of the new government's quick progress that, "with immediate
effect, children will no longer be detained overnight at Dungavel
Immigration Removal Centre. "This is something which many groups in
Scotland have been calling for and we are now delivering this positive
outcome." But it emerged that the detention of those children and
their mothers would continue, as they are instead being transferred to the
notorious Yarl's Wood Immigration Centre in Bedfordshire. And Scottish
Education Secretary Mike Russell wrote to new Home Secretary Theresa May on
Wednesday detailing his "strong concerns" when he found out that,
on Monday, Pakistani woman Sehar Shebaz and her eight-month-old daughter
Wanya were taken into Dungavel. The two are due to be moved to Yarl's Wood.
Glasgow MSP Anne McLaughlin said: "The House of Commons has been
highly critical of child detention in Yarl's Wood and we must see this
practice brought to an end across the UK as soon as possible." Yarl's
Wood made the headlines earlier this year after women, many of whom are
rape and torture survivors, went on hunger strike against the alleged
inhumane treatment they were suffering at the hands of the centre's staff,
who are employed by security giant Serco. Black Women's Rape Action Project
co-ordinator Cristel Amiss said the pledge to end child detention should be
extended to mothers, pointing out that the trauma of a mother and child
being separated causes suicidal feelings in mothers and symptoms such as
nightmares and bed-wetting in children. She said there was no evidence that
detention of mothers and children was necessary as the UK Border Agency
itself has admitted that there is no risk of absconding. "No mother
wants to rip her child out of school and put them through lying low somewhere
- it doesn't happen." Ms Amiss also highlighted that Britain was a
signatory to the UN Convention for Refugees, but "successive
governments have dismantled that to the point where Britain does not give
protection and safety, particularly for those who are the most vulnerable.
"Women have told us they had to seek asylum and had to come to Britain
because Britain has been involved in promoting wars they have fled and
providing arms for rebel forces." The Home Office insisted that
detention would continue while a review was carried out into alternatives.
End Child Detention Now spokeswoman Esme Madil said: "We see
absolutely no reason to delay this while the review is taking place.
"Immigration detention should have ended immediately."
May 18, 2005 BBC
Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said provision for children at the
Dungavel immigration detention centre in Lanarkshire was
"inadequate". Ms Owers also attacked the "seriously
deficient" protection of children at Tinsley House near Gatwick. Home
Office Minister Tony McNulty said detention must be carried out with
humanity and dignity. Ms Owers said the Dungavel centre, which holds failed
asylum seekers before deportation, had failed to implement recommendations
made during a visit two years earlier. She said she was "extremely
concerned" about children at the centre, and in all the immigration
removal centres she had inspected. "Obviously the detention of
children is a very sensitive matter which should be exceptional and only
for a very short period," she told BBC News. "The problem was
that in neither of those centres were there proper independent procedures
in place so that the welfare needs of those children could be properly
identified and met, and so that any serious concerns could be raised quickly."
Dungavel House is Scotland's only immigration removal centre. On Tinsley
House, Ms Owers said there was no dedicated child protection officer, and
inadequate criminal record checks on staff. The privately-run centre was
also attacked for weak complaints and race relations procedures. Linda
Fabiani, deputy convener of the Scottish Parliament's cross-party group on
refugees, condemned the "disgraceful" provision of care for
children at Dungavel. "This report is a damning indictment of the
centre and the Scottish Executive's policy on the handling of asylum
seekers," the Scottish National Party MSP said. "The executive
must now tell the Home Office that it is not acceptable that these children
are being failed on Scottish soil and demand action now." The Scottish
Socialist Party MSP, Rosie Kane, said: "Dungavel detention centre is
Scotland's national disgrace. "The detention of innocent men, women
and children on Scottish soil is an abuse of human rights, of the right
under international law to seek asylum. "The detention of children is
absolutely barbaric."
An
investigation has been launched after a man was found dead at the Dungavel
immigration centre. The Home Office confirmed that there was a death
on Friday night, but refused to give any further details. It is
understood that the death at the Lanarkshire centre is not being treated as
suspicious. Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar claimed that the man had
committed suicide after he was moved from a centre in west London following
a riot. There was a disturbance at Harmondsworth earlier this month
after a 31-year-old detainee was found hanged. (BBC, July 25, 2004)
Elmley Prison, Kent, UK
May 24, 2010 Kent News
Four people, including a prison guard, have been sentenced for conspiracy
to supply drugs and mobile phones to convicts. The drugs had a prison
‘street value’ of around £17,000 in HMP Elmley prison, and the judge
described the crimes as "very serious offences, as drugs and mobile
phones are a form of currency within prisons which can destroy prison
life". Prisoner Darren Byrne, 30, of HMP Elmley, received eight years
imprisonment for his role as ringleader in the conspiracy. At Maidstone
Crown Court Judge Gold said: "You were at the hub of this conspiracy,
orchestrating it all from within the prison walls". The court heard
how officers had found a mobile phone and Sim card in Byrne's cell and the
phone revealed a series of text messages between him and Carly Morris
revealing key information about the smuggling operation. Morris, 25, from
Dover, formerly a Serco court security employee working at Canterbury Crown
Court, was given a total of five years imprisonment for her role in the
conspiracy. Judge Gold said Morris "had a responsibility to transport
and guard prisoners and that she had abused her position of trust" by
passing over drugs and mobile phones to prisoners to smuggle back into HMP
Elmley.
June 3, 2009 Little Hampton Gazette
A former prison worker has been remanded on bail after appearing in court
charged with trying to smuggle drugs into a Kent prison. Carly Joanne
Morris, 24, who has left her post at Serco, was charged with conspiracy to
supply drugs into Elmley Prison on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, along with
three other people. Prison inmate Darren Paul Byrne, 29, Dino Lewis Gillet,
37, unemployed, of Canterbury Road, Westgate-on-Sea, and his wife, Sahra
Naomi Gillet, 35, also unemployed and of the same address, also appeared at
Medway Magistrates' Court for a preliminary hearing. All four are also
charged with conveying prohibited articles into the prison. Morris, from
Dover, and Mrs Gillet were remanded on bail. Mr Gillet and Byrne were
remanded in custody until their next appearance at Maidstone Crown Court on
June 15. Officers from the serious and organised crime unit within Kent Police's
specialist operations directorate made the arrests following a joint
investigation between Kent Police and HMP Elmley security department. More
than 18 police officers were involved in the investigation and arrests and
properties in Grange Road, Ramsgate, and Canterbury Road, Westgate-on-Sea,
were searched. The arrests come after another former Serco worker was
charged with trying to smuggle drugs into the jail last month.
May 14, 2009 BBC
A former prison worker has been charged with trying to smuggle drugs
into a Kent jail. Kent Police charged Zoe Spenser-Campbell, 25, with
conspiracy to supply controlled drugs into Elmley Prison on the Isle of
Sheppey. The former Serco employee was charged alongside labourer Jason
Howsam, 26, who lives at the same address in High Street, Herne Bay. A
second man who was also arrested on Tuesday was released without charge.
The arrests followed a joint investigation between the serious and
organised crime unit within Kent Police's specialist operations directorate
and HMP Elmley security department.
Harrow
Crown Court
London, UK
Serco
January 20, 2012 UKPA
A former Harrow Crown Court prison guard has been jailed for four years for
trying to smuggle heroin. Dean Nelder, 28, was caught taking a package
containing cannabis and heroin into the court in April last year. Police
were alerted to the plan after a note was left in a cell at Wormwood Scrubs
prison tipping them off. Passing sentence at the Old Bailey, the Recorder
of London Peter Beaumont QC said: "You've let yourself down, you've
let your family down, and those who care for you, and you've made it very
difficult to get a responsible job in the future." Nelder was jailed
for four years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, two years for
conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office and three years for
possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, to run concurrently.
Hassockfield
Secure Training Centre, Doncaster, England
April 25, 2011 The Independent
Juveniles in private prisons are at risk of serious injury or death through
the use of illegal restraints, according to research by the penal reform
charity the Howard League. Some privately run Secure Training Centres (STC)
are using unlawful restraints which have resulted in bruising, broken bones
and a number of deaths of under 18s in penal custody, according to
researchers. The report from Howard League lawyers documents the daily
violence the juveniles have faced while they have been in custody. A
15-year-old boy in a STC said in evidence given to a Howard League lawyer:
"I had bruised shoulders from when one of the staff dragged me across
the room and shoved me into the wall. I had bruising on my back from where
I was slammed into the wall in my cell." The report reveals that there
were 142 injuries to children recorded as a result of the restraint of boys
in prisons between April 2008 and March 2009. Lord Carlile of Berriew QC is
holding a series of public hearings in the House of Lords into the policies
and practices of using force on children in custody. In an independent
inquiry into the use of physical restraint in 2006, Lord Carlile
recommended that it should never be used as punishment or to secure
compliance. He added that the infliction of pain was not acceptable and may
be unlawful. The report, Twisted: the Use of Force on Children in Custody,
comes after the death of 14-year-old Adam Rickwood who was found hanging in
his cell in 2004 after being restrained by staff at Hassockfield STC in
County Durham. At a second inquest into his death, held at Easington
earlier this year, a jury found that the unlawful use of force by staff had
contributed to it. A secret manual published by the Ministry of Justice
that was publicly disclosed after legal action in 2010 shows that staff
were authorised to use pain-inflicting distraction techniques on the
thumbs, ribs and noses of children. According to the Youth Justice Board,
6,904 incidents of restraint were reported between 2009-10 in England and
Wales, 257 of which resulted in injury. However, the report highlights that
statistics are likely to underestimate the extent to which physical
restraint is used, as not all incidents are recorded. Frances Crook,
director of the Howard League, said: "These shadowy private companies
who profit from children being locked up have disguised their methods of
painful holds on children for years. It is time we revealed what is really
happening."
February 15, 2011 The Guardian
A high court challenge has been launched over the Ministry of Justice's
refusal to identify hundreds of children who have been unlawfully
restrained in privately run child jails using techniques that have since
been banned. The Children's Rights Alliance for England (Crae) has applied
for a judicial review of the refusal by the justice secretary, Ken Clarke,
to identify and contact children who may have been unlawfully restrained in
the privately run secure training centres. The legal battle follows the
second inquest two weeks ago into the death of 14-year-old Adam Rickwood,
found hanging in his room at Hassockfield secure training centre where he
was on remand in 2006. The inquest concluded that there was a serious
system failure which gave rise to an unlawful regime at the jail. The use
of several "distraction'' restraint techniques, which involve inflicting
pain with a severe blow to the nose or ribs, or by pulling back a child's
thumb, were first suspended in 2007 before being banned in 2008. The use of
physical restraint to control teenagers in child jails for the purposes of
"good order and discipline" was also ruled to be unlawful by the
court of appeal in the same year. Carolyne Willow of Crae said she believed
that there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of children who have been
unlawfully restrained in secure training centres since they first opened in
1998.
January 11, 2011 Evening-Chronicle
GUARDS at a privately-run young people’s unit acted illegally leading up to
a teenager’s prison cell suicide, an inquest heard. Tragic Adam Rickwood
was found hanging just hours after he was mistreated by warders. His mother
Carol Pounder, told jurors she would be “locked up” if she had behaved
towards her son the way authorities had in the moments leading up to his
death. At a second hearing into the tragedy, following a High Court appeal,
Durham’s Assistant Deputy Coroner Jeremy Freedman revealed previous jurors
were not informed prison staff had used unorthodox methods to restrain Adam
and were acting “unlawfully and illegally” on the evening of his death on
August 9, 2004. The 14-year-old, from Burnley, was found hanged by his
shoelaces in his cell by staff at the Serco-run Hassockfield secure
training centre in Consett, while on remand for an alleged wounding charge.
Hours before his death, at 6pm, he was involved in an altercation with
staff who ordered him to return to his cell from the social area he was in.
The order came after a note was passed to him by another inmate which
contained “unflattering remarks” about a female member of staff. When Adam
refused to go back to his cell and instead sat on the floor in the communal
area, back-up was called and he was physically removed. Four officers
restrained him – two holding his arms, one holding his head and one holding
his legs. Adam was placed in his cell face down and, because the officer
holding his head feared Adam was trying to bite his fingers, he employed a
“nose distraction method” to control Adam’s behaviour – a painful manoeuvre
which left his nose swollen and bruised. Mr Freedman, who is leading the
second inquest into his death, said the previous jury had not been told
“three important things”. He said: “When they removed Adam from the free
association area, in these circumstances, it was unlawful and illegal.
“Second, they weren’t told that the use of Physical Control in Care in
taking him into his cell in these circumstances was, too, unlawful. “And
thirdly, they weren’t told that the use of the nose distraction technique
was in any circumstances unlawful and illegal.”
July 18, 2010 AP
Brutal techniques to restrain children held in private prisons have been
made public after mounting pressure from children's rights groups. The
Observer disclosed details of the techniques used to train staff in
restraining young offenders in the country's four privately-run secure
training centres. The secret manual, Physical Control in Care, was created
by the HM Prison Service and approved by the Department of Justice in 2005.
The government's Youth Justice Board (YJB) had initially fought the
Information Commissioner's order to hand over the documents. When the Children's
Rights Alliance (CRAE) called on the Justice Secretary to hold an
independent judicial inquiry, YJB finally relented. The Observer revealed
that control measures authorised for staff to use include "an inverted
knuckle into the trainee's sternum and drive inward and upward,"
"alternate elbow strikes to the young person's ribs until a release is
achieved," and "drive straight fingers into the young person's
face, and then quickly drive the straightened fingers of the same hand downwards
into the young person's groin area." The manual went so far as to warn
staff that some techniques risk a "fracture to the skull" and
"temporary or permanent blindness caused by rupture to eyeball or
detached retina." One passage states in regard to administering a head-hold
that "if breathing is compromised the situation ceases to be a
restraint and becomes a medical emergency." Carolyne Willow, CRAE's
national co-ordinator stated, "Until now, we've seen a compulsive
reliance on secrecy and an absolute failure to face up publicly to the
disgraceful and unlawful treatment of children the State officially
describes as vulnerable." The campaign to make the information public
came after the deaths of two children, Gareth Myatt, 15, and Adam Rickwood,
14, who died in the custody of Rainsbrook and Hassockfield secure training
centres in 2004.
March 8, 2008 The Northern Echo
BRUTAL restraint techniques used before the suicide of a 14-year-old boy at
a North-East secure unit are illegal and must be banned, MPs and peers will
demand today. In a damning report, the Joint Human Rights Committee
condemns the "state sanctioned infliction of pain against
children" as young as 12, who misbehave in private prisons. The
restraint techniques include hitting a child's nose from underneath - the
restraint method used on Adam Rickwood by staff at the Serco-run
Hassockfield Secure Training Centre, near Consett, County Durham. Six hours
later, on August 9, 2004, Adam, from Burnley, Lancashire, became the
youngest person to die in custody in Britain when he hanged himself from a
curtain rail, using his shoelaces. Last night, Adam's mother, Carol
Pounder, welcomed the report and said the treatment her son received should
never have been allowed to take place. She said: "Sometimes you need
to restrain a child to protect them from themselves, but there is a
difference between restraining a child and beating a child. "What
gives them the right to do these things to our children? If I had punched
Adam in the nose and caused pain and bleeding at home, I would be taken to
court. But because it happens behind closed doors nobody knows. "The
best thing this Government could do is withdraw this distraction technique,
not just put a suspension on it." Describing the so-called distraction
techniques as unlawful under international human rights laws, the committee
warns they have had "tragic results". Andrew Dismore, the
committee's Labour chairman, said: "What is, in effect,
state-sanctioned infliction of pain against children to ensure good order
and discipline should not continue. "It must be absolutely clear that
inflicting pain on children is never justified and the use of force is an
absolute last resort, for use only when all alternatives have been
demonstrably exhausted." The committee also condemns the Government
for refusing to release the staff manual for restraining children, which
means the full details of the hold techniques remain secret. As well as
"nose distraction" - the upward chop to the septum used against
Adam - the techniques include the "double basket", where the arms
are crossed and held behind the back. In December, the Government agreed to
suspend the use of both techniques after medical advice. Today's report
demands their permanent removal from the manual. The report includes an extract
from a note found in Adam's room after his death. The 14-year-old wrote:
"When I calmed down, I asked them why they hit me in the nose and
jumped on me. "They said it was because I wouldn't go in my room, so I
said what gives them the right to hit a 14-year-old child in the nose, and
they said it was restraint." The inquest into his death returned a
verdict of suicide. It heard the officer who used the nose distraction
technique on the boy later noticed it had drawn blood. The director of the
Howard League for Penal Reform, Francis Crook, said last night he was very
pleased with the committee's opposition to the use of painful restraint. He
said: "Treatment that would see a parent or teacher in front of social
services is not only allowed in these child jails but positively encouraged
by recent rule changes." A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice
said: "Force is only ever used as a last resort. "However, some
young people in secure training centres can be very violent and staff need
appropriate and effective methods to contain and resolve dangerous
situations. "The Youth Justice Board's Code of Practice on behaviour
management makes it explicit that restrictive physical interventions must
only be used as a last resort." Serco, which runs the centre, declined
to comment.
Kilmarnock (Bowhouse), Scotland
Nov 17, 2019 dailyrecord.co.uk
Crisis-hit private prisons to return to public
ownership in Scotland
The Scottish
Government move comes amid concerns over the £1.4billion contract costs for
HMP Kilmanock and Addiewell. Controversial private Scottish prisons are to
be brought back into public ownership when their contracts end. The
Scottish Government move comes amid concerns over the cost to the taxpayer
of HMP Kilmarnock and HMP Addiewell. We can reveal the final bill will be
just under £1.4billion by the end of the contracts. The £368million
contract for Kilmarnock , run by Serco, was awarded in 1997 and is due to
expire in 2024. Addiewell’s contract began in 2006 and expires in 2034. The
West Lothian jail is operated by Sodexo Justice Services. Union officials
want the deal terminated early despite the Scottish Government being
liable for a financial penalty. Kilmarnock and Addiewell were built under
the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf
revealed the plans at a meeting with the Prison Officers Association (POA)
Scotland in the Borders. Welcoming Yousaf’s plan, Andy Hogg, assistant general
secretary of POA Scotland, said: “The cost of bringing in Addiewell earlier
would be expensive. “However that needs to be balanced with the incredible
payments that have been left as an absurd legacy of the failed PFI
schemes.” A Sodexo spokesman said: “Sodexo are proud to hold the 25-year
contract to operate HMP Addiewell and will work with the Scottish Prison
Service (SPS) to deliver the best service we can. “We look forward to Kilmarnock
transferring to the control of the SPS in 2024. Serco declined to comment.
The Scottish Government said: “We have always maintained that prisons
should be managed by the public sector and not run for profit by private
companies. “That is why private prisons will come into public ownership
after their contracts expire.” There have been problems at both jails in
recent months. Addiewell has been hit by staff shortages leading to a
prisoner revolt in which several cell were set on fire. Director of
Addiewell Ian Whitehead left his job while a female officer resigned after failing
a drugs test this month. In August, about 60 prisoners in Kilmarnock were
involved in disturbance following a drugs crackdown.
Nov 13, 2016 mirror.co.uk
Kickboxing guard on prison drugs rap after cannabis is 'smuggled into
private jail'
Scottish heavyweight boxing contender Ian Gibson allegedly brought in
cannabis after being threatened by a jail kingpin lifer. A kickboxing
prison guard has been charged with smuggling drugs into a private jail. Ian
Gibson, 35, was held by police at HMP Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire then
spent the weekend in custody. The heavyweight boxer has been charged with
dealing cannabis at the privately run prison. Gibson allegedly brought in
the drugs after being threatened by a notorious inmate inside for murder.
The prison guard's solicitor Simon Brown said: “A positive line of defence
is being pursued.” Gibson is a well-known kickboxer, boxer and strongman
athlete. Earlier this year, he lost a fight for the Scottish heavyweight
boxing title. He was arrested on November 4 after he was searched at the
jail, known locally as Bowhouse. Drugs were allegedly found stashed at a
toilet and drug-related items taken from Gibson’s car. Gibson, of Irvine,
appeared in private at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last Monday. He faced a
single charge of possessing cannabis with intent to supply. Gibson made no
plea. The case was continued and he was released on bail. Prosecutors have
a year to bring him to trial. He has not been charged in relation to the
other items found in his vehicle. Gibson and his lawyers are due to discuss
the case with detectives this week. It’s alleged a high-profile prisoner,
currently serving life at the jail for murder, threatened Gibson. A source
told the Daily Record : “The claim is effectively he was blackmailed. It’s
alleged the drugs were then brought into the jail after this. “There’s now
this allegation that cannabis was taken into Bowhouse, where he is a prison
officer. “It’s possible that any charges in this case may eventually become
part of a bigger conspiracy investigation.” During the commentary for one
of Gibson’s fights available online, he is described as a “no-nonsense
heavyweight”. He lost his title fight after being knocked out by Eric Majda
at Strathclyde Country Park Hotel in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, on July
2. But he scored a first-round win against Manchester fighter Liam Crawley.
More than 300 fans were at the kickboxing and boxing night in Irvine.
Gibson states on his Facebook page that he was a mechanical engineer before
getting his job at the prison. He said last week: “I am not able to say
anything about this at the moment.” His solicitor added: “We’re
co-operating with police and I’m unable to comment further.” The Scottish
Prison Service said staffing issues at the jail were a matter for Serco,
who operate HMP Kilmarnock. Serco confirmed Gibson is no longer employed by
them. Michael Guy, Serco contract director at the prison, said: “We work
very hard to prevent contraband being smuggled into HMP Kilmarnock and we
take a zero-tolerance attitude towards any such activity. “Recently,
working closely with the police, we undertook a search and we’re pleased
that as a result an individual was arrested and charged.” Police confirmed
a report had gone to the procurator fiscal.
Jun 4, 2016 dailyrecord.co.uk
Warders at private prison cleared by sheriff over brutal jail murder
A COURT has ruled that staff at
Kilmarnock Prison could not have foreseen the murder of an accused rapist
by a fellow inmate. A SHERIFF has cleared prison staff of blame for the
brutal murder of a prisoner in a private jail. Rape accused Michael
Cameron, 21, was on remand at HMP Kilmarnock when he was battered by inmate
David Martin in June 2006. Martin, on remand for another killing, was
caught on camera kicking, stamping and pouring boiling water on Cameron.
Following a fatal accident inquiry, Sheriff Susan Sinclair ruled that staff
at the Serco-run jail could not have foreseen the murder. The inquiry heard
claims the prisoners should not have been put together in the same ward in
a health care wing. It was also alleged two staff failed to intervene when
Cameron was first attacked. But Sheriff Sinclair said: “There can be
absolutely no criticism of either for their actions on that evening. They
did everything that could possibly safely be done.” Martin was jailed for a
minimum of 18 years for the killing while co-accused Andrew Kiltie, 28, was
deemed insane and unfit to stand trial. The sheriff said there had only
been staff failings in relation to filling out paperwork.
Jan 12, 2016 holyrood.com
Scottish Government ministers have confirmed plans to broaden the scope of
freedom of information laws later this year. Contractors who run Scotland's
two private prisons at Addiewell and Kilmarnock will be subject to FOI
requests from September, as will providers of secure accommodation for
children, grant-aided schools and independent special schools. The
announcement comes almost a year to the day since Scottish Information
Commissioner Rosemary Agnew claimed powers to extend FOI to non-public
sector bodies delivering public services as a result of outsourcing had
been “woefully underused”. The government also looks set to give into
pressure to include housing associations after acknowledging there are
“persuasive arguments favouring extension” to registered social landlords
(RSLs). A full consultation on the proposal will take place this year.
Ministers have the power to extend FOI to third parties providing public
services under Section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002,
though have only done so once to encompass bodies providing culture and
leisure services on behalf of local authorities. A consultation was
launched in June last year on extending coverage to four separate types of
organisation. Implementation will now go ahead five months after originally
planned due to concerns about rushed timescales. Ministers also intend to
relax a requirement to respond to requests within 20 working days for
“certain bodies in certain circumstances”. Agnew said: “We are pleased
about the further extension of FOI, and hope this current order is simply
the next in a series. “Extension to these organisations will give the
public a right to information about performance, standards and how public
money is spent. It will also place a
duty on organisations to publish information proactively. “Over the coming
months we’ll be working with the organisations to help them prepare for
their new responsibilities, to ensure that they are ready by the September
deadline.” Though ministers initially said they were not “persuaded of the
merits” of extending coverage to housing associations, views were sought on
which other bodies should be brought under FOI as part of the recent
consultation. A “considerable number” of responses backed a petition
currently before Holyrood requesting that housing associations fall under
the Act, while the Scottish Information Commissioner has pressed for the
move to be made. “Given this combination of factors we are now of the view
that there are persuasive arguments favouring extension of coverage of
FOISA to registered social landlords and that the sector should be formally
consulted in order to fully explore the issues involved and consider which
of their functions should be subject to FOISA,” said the Scottish
Government in its response. “We therefore propose to consult the RSL sector
in tandem with this year’s review of the Scottish Social Housing Charter.”
Since the FOI Act came into force in 2005, over 15,000 Scottish households
have lost FOI rights following the transfer of local authority housing
stock to housing associations, according to the Scottish Information
Commissioner.
Jan 12, 2016 holyrood.com
Government confirms plans to extend freedom of information reach
Scottish Government ministers have confirmed plans to broaden the scope
of freedom of information laws later this year. Contractors who run
Scotland's two private prisons at Addiewell and Kilmarnock will be subject
to FOI requests from September, as will providers of secure accommodation
for children, grant-aided schools and independent special schools. The
announcement comes almost a year to the day since Scottish Information
Commissioner Rosemary Agnew claimed powers to extend FOI to non-public
sector bodies delivering public services as a result of outsourcing had
been “woefully underused”. The government also looks set to give into
pressure to include housing associations after acknowledging there are
“persuasive arguments favouring extension” to registered social landlords
(RSLs). A full consultation on the proposal will take place this year.
Ministers have the power to extend FOI to third parties providing public
services under Section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002,
though have only done so once to encompass bodies providing culture and
leisure services on behalf of local authorities. A consultation was
launched in June last year on extending coverage to four separate types of
organisation. Implementation will now go ahead five months after originally
planned due to concerns about rushed timescales. Ministers also intend to
relax a requirement to respond to requests within 20 working days for
“certain bodies in certain circumstances”. Agnew said: “We are pleased
about the further extension of FOI, and hope this current order is simply
the next in a series. “Extension to these organisations will give the
public a right to information about performance, standards and how public
money is spent. It will also place a
duty on organisations to publish information proactively. “Over the coming
months we’ll be working with the organisations to help them prepare for
their new responsibilities, to ensure that they are ready by the September
deadline.” Though ministers initially said they were not “persuaded of the
merits” of extending coverage to housing associations, views were sought on
which other bodies should be brought under FOI as part of the recent
consultation. A “considerable number” of responses backed a petition
currently before Holyrood requesting that housing associations fall under
the Act, while the Scottish Information Commissioner has pressed for the
move to be made. “Given this combination of factors we are now of the view
that there are persuasive arguments favouring extension of coverage of
FOISA to registered social landlords and that the sector should be formally
consulted in order to fully explore the issues involved and consider which
of their functions should be subject to FOISA,” said the Scottish
Government in its response. “We therefore propose to consult the RSL sector
in tandem with this year’s review of the Scottish Social Housing Charter.”
Since the FOI Act came into force in 2005, over 15,000 Scottish households
have lost FOI rights following the transfer of local authority housing
stock to housing associations, according to the Scottish Information
Commissioner.
July 3, 2011 Scotland on Sunday
A PRIVATE prison has been confirmed as the "softest" in Scotland
with one in three inmates who break the rules escaping punishment.
Kilmarnock prisoners committed more than 17,500 offences in the past five
years, the highest of any adult prison in Scotland. The figures include
almost 2,000 cases of assault, drug abuse and destruction of prison
property. But statistics for punishments handed out show that a third escaped
with a caution, no action or had their case dismissed. The same figures
reveal Shotts has the toughest discipline. Despite having fewer cases of
drugs and assaults than Kilmarnock, it only lets off 7 per cent of
prisoners. Critics of Kilmarnock have claimed that, to save cash, it
operates with fewer staff per prisoner, meaning inmates are effectively in
control. Details of how Kilmarnock operates are difficult to extract
because of strict confidentiality surrounding the private deal, which will
cost taxpayers £130 million over 25 years. But the statistics on offences
and punishments suggest staff are struggling to control its 550 inmates.
December 3, 2010 Kilmarnock Standard
A NURSE claimed he was ‘outed’ as gay by prison bosses during an
investigation into homophobic bullying at HMP Kilmarnock. Steven Ross, from
Coatbridge, has been at a tribunal this week. He lodged a grievance in
December, 2008 against colleagues at the jail who he said made homophobic
remarks. Mr Ross was sent on gardening leave in January, 2009 while the
investigation was carried out. At an employment tribunal in Glasgow, before
judge Shona MacLean, Mr Ross has lodged a claim against Serco, who run the
Kilmarnock prison, claiming he was discriminated against on the grounds of
his sexual orientation. Mr Ross told the tribunal that he was subjected to
bullying and harassment by colleagues who made comments such as he took
“fag breaks” and about him “eating fairy cakes”. Mr Ross, who worked as a
mental health nurse at the prison, told the hearing someone asked if he
could be trusted on the nightshift alone because he was gay. Mr Ross,
represented by lawyer Louise Bain, also said he was asked if he was a
‘giver or a taker’. He described feeling isolated and said he could not
sleep and had poor concentration. The tribunal heard that afterwards Mr
Ross gave Iain Donnelly, the deputy director of custodial health at the
prison, names of those who allegedly made the comments and also witnesses.
However, in February, during a conversation with Mr Donnelly, Mr Ross was
shocked to learn 38 people had been interviewed. Mr Ross, who appeared
upset and close to tears, said: “I couldn’t believe Iain Donnelly had outed
me to so many people in the prison. I could not believe he had done this, I
was devastated.” He added: “I felt that my human rights had been violated
by this man.”
August 5, 2010 STV
A prisoner who died in a privately-run jail after complaining of chest pains
was told he had indigestion, an inquiry has heard. William Scott, 58, told
other inmates at Kilmarnock prison that he had been feeling increasingly
unwell before his death in September 2009. His son Darren, 33, who was also
an inmate at the Serco-operated prison, said his father was looking grey
and had reported chest pains shortly before his body was discovered in his
cell. But Mr Scott said his father was informed he probably had
indigestion, a fatal accident inquiry heard at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.
Prison nurse Karen Smith, 50, said Mr Scott was "relaxed and
cheerful" when he saw her on the evening before his death. Ms Smith
said: "He told me he'd had indigestion and could he have something for
it. I asked him how he knew it could be indigestion as it could have been
other things." Mr Scott, of Ayr, told her he had a burning pain, the
inquiry heard. Ms Smith added: "I dispensed Gaviscon and said if it
didn't help to let me know." A prison officer suggested that Mr Scott
might have asked when a doctor would be available, but Ms Smith said that
she had “no recollection” of such a request. Ms Smith, a nurse for 30
years, admitted that she forgot to record details of the consultation on Mr
Scott's medical records. She said she wrote on a Post-it note that Gaviscon
had been dispensed but forgot to transfer it to his notes because of a
later emergency at the prison. Lorna Grierson, 30, a prison custody
officer, said she had looked in on Mr Scott when it was time to wake the
prisoners but he was in his bed so she left him there. But later that
morning Mr Scott's cell mate asked her to go and check on him. Ms Grierson
said: "He appeared not to be breathing so I called the medical
response." Other prison custody officers tried to revive Mr Scott without
success. Ms Grierson admitted prison rules stated officers should get a
verbal response from prisoners when waking them up in the morning. The
inquiry has now ended and Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane will issue a formal
determination at a later date.
July 28, 2010 Lynn News
Private sector firms which run prisons and maintain schools and hospitals
may face closer scrutiny under Government proposals to make them more
accountable to the public. The Scottish Government is considering
broadening the scope of Freedom of Information (FOI) laws which give anyone
the right to obtain information from publicly-funded bodies such as
councils and hospitals about their activities. A 14-week Government
consultation will seek views on whether more organisations that deliver
public services should be covered by FOI legislation. Those being
considered include the private prison contractors running Addiewell and
Kilmarnock prisons and those which transport prisoners. The Government
believes there are "strong grounds" for Glasgow Housing
Association to be covered given "the level of interest that it
attracts".
May 10, 2010 BBC
A man has died while on remand in Kilmarnock Prison, the Scottish Prison
Service (SPS) has said. Paul Murdoch, who was 24, had been awaiting trial
on an attempted murder charge after appearing at Ayr Sheriff Court in
February. He died in the privately-run jail on Saturday. The SPS said his
family had been informed. A fatal accident inquiry into the death of Mr
Murdoch will be held at a later date.
February 10, 2010 Evening Times
Two inmates at Scotland’s first private jail were involved in a late-night
disturbance causing damage to a prison wing. Emergency services were put on
stand-by at HMP Kilmarnock in Ayrshire after trouble flared around 8.30pm
and lasted several hours. Police were alerted and an ambulance team were
standing by at the privately run facility. Two inmates were said to be
unhappy about being in Kilmarnock and sparked a disturbance. Damage was
cause to Bravo wing and at one stage prison officers were forced to
withdraw. The inmates tried to encourage others to get involved but their
attempts failed. An investigation into the incident is expected to get
under way later today. A prison source said: “Two prisoners tried to get a
bit heavy with the staff and caused a disturbance which went on for several
hours. “Staff had temporarily to withdraw but the situation was then dealt
with and the prison returned to normal within a few hours.” Although
emergency services were on the scene, no one is believed to have been
injured.
September 9, 2009 BBC
Scotland's Information Commissioner has ordered the release of key
financial data from a £50m PFI contract for Kilmarnock jail. The Scottish
Prison Service (SPS) and the private jail's operator had resisted giving the
information to the union Unison. They argued it would substantially
prejudice the contractor's commercial interests. Unison said it was "a
major victory for the public's right to know". The prison is operated
by Serco on behalf of the Scottish Prison Service. The SPS said it was
"currently considering its response". Information Commissioner
Kevin Dunion said the significance of the financial model data had
diminished substantially since the 25-year contract was signed in November
1997. Unison's Scottish organiser Dave Watson said the union had long
argued there was too much secrecy around PFI and Public Private Partnership
(PPP) contracts. "Too often the public is denied information about the
costs of hospital, school and prison contracts on the grounds of commercial
prejudice or commercial confidentiality," he said. "This decision
is extremely important and should help pave the way for greater access to
information about all PFI/PPP contracts." Unison had also requested
the Full Business Case (FBC) for the Kilmarnock Prison, but Mr Dunion
accepted this was not held. Mr Watson added: "The fact that there is
no Full Business Case for the prison speaks volumes about the way public
funding has been wasted on PFI/PPP. "The public was always told these
projects would deliver value for money but has seen these claims unravel
spectacularly over the years. "The figures have frequently been
manipulated, or withheld, or in this case, were not even calculated
beforehand in any meaningful way."
May 24, 2009 Sunday Mail
A ROOKIE guard has been awarded almost £120,000 for stress she suffered
in a prison riot. Ann Hinshelwood says prisoners battled with warders when
they did not get milk and cornflakes for breakfast. The 40-year-old was
trapped behind a glass partition and forced to watch the riot unfold, which
she claims caused her post-traumatic stress disorder. She said: "A lot
of prisoners didn't get the milk and breakfast they were entitled to and
they were bawling and shouting." Hinshelwood also says her training
was so bad she had to ask inmates how to lock their cells. Once she even
locked prisoners out of their cells by mistake because she did not know how
to use the keys properly. Hinshelwood added: "I didn't know what I was
doing and didn't have anyone to help me. I didn't have a clue. "I felt
inadequate and stupid because I didn't know the routine and prisoners were
trying to tell me what to do." Hinshelwood joined HMP Bowhouse in
Kilmarnock as a guard having been a prison office clerk. She was trained from
textbooks and, during the sevenweek course, had no practical experience.
The riot escalated after fellow custody officer Mark Ritchie challenged an
inmate to a fight. The riot was finally brought under control by a response
team. Hinshelwood has been on sick leave for the last eight years since she
was caught in the middle of the riot in 2001. She launched the claim
against private prison operators Premier Custodial Group for post-traumatic
stress disorder, depression and stress. Hinshelwood, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire,
was awarded £116,210 last week at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after a
four-year legal battle. The award was based on her past and future loss of
earnings. The court was told that Hinshelwood had been singled out for
promotion and would have been earning upwards of £30,000 a year by now. She
has also launched a separate claim for legal costs and, if successful,
Premier may be forced to pay out a further £50,000. In his judgment,
Sheriff Colin Mackay blamed Ritchie and his bosses for the events which led
to her suffering the trauma. He said: "It was the duty of Mark Ritchie
to take reasonable care for the safety of fellow members of staff. It was
his duty not to get involved in fights with prisoners. In each and all of
these duties he failed. "His employers at the time are liable for his
fault and negligence." The Kilmarnock prison is regarded as a soft
option by many hardened cons. It has been dubbed the "Killie
Hilton" because it has facilities such as a recording studio and
sports hall. All cells have central heating and inmates are allowed DVD
players and TVs. A spokesman for HMP Bowhouse said yesterday: "We are
studying the judgment and will decide what further legal action to
take."
May 22, 2009 Irvine Herald
AN Irvine recycling firm has been ordered to halt using PRISONERS to
sort rubbish from homes across North Ayrshire. The order comes from the
local authority after it emerged a load of waste – including confidential
letters and bank statements – had been handed over to the jail in
Kilmarnock to be sorted by cons. The move sparked fears the prisoners could
steal people’s identities as they sorted through bags of waste paper. It
was feared the work – at the private prison’s industries unit – would leave
the public open to fraud or intimidation because many people fail to shred
their waste paper. This week the council said they were not aware of the
deal between Irvine based Lowmac Alloys and the nick. A spokesman said only
one load had gone to the jail and it had been recovered. He added: “Lowmac
have been instructed not to do this again. “This is a joint contract
between the company, ourselves and South Ayrshire Council.”
May 21, 2009 Ardrossan Herald
The AUTHORITIES are investigating the prison death of a Saltcoats man.
Steven Gibb, of Auchenharvie Road, was found dead in his cell on Saturday.
The 27-year-old was seven months into a four-and-a-half-year sentence at HM
Prison Kilmarnock. The Scottish Prison Service released a brief statement
indicating that next of kin had been informed and that a fatal accident
inquiry would be held. The cause of death has not yet been established but
members of his family told the Herald they suspect he may have suffered a
heart attack. Mr Gibb, who was serving his first prison sentence, had been
taking medicine for anxiety.
April 20, 2009 BBC
Workers at Scotland's first private jail have called on ministers to
hold an independent inquiry into the prison. The design, construction,
financing and managing of Kilmarnock needs to be urgently looked into,
according to a petition being discussed by MSPs. Holyrood's petitions
committee is discussing a call by William Buntain "on behalf of staff
at HMP Kilmarnock". Kilmarnock, which opened in 1999, is operated by
Serco on behalf of the Scottish Prison Service. Mr Buntain raised health
and safety concerns, including that Kilmarnock Prison employees did not
have the same level of access to Pava spray, which he described as "pepper
spray", in the event of a major incident. Shortly after coming to
power, the SNP scrapped plans for a private £100m prison to replace Low
Moss near Bishopbriggs, instead saying it would be run by the Scottish
Prison Service. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said at the time prisons
should be owned and operated by the public sector.
April 5, 2009 Sunday Mail
THREE wardens at a private jail have been suspended after an inmate's cell
was left unlocked overnight. The incident at Kilmarnock's Bowhouse Prison is
being treated as a major security breach although no prisoners escaped.
Derek Turner, of the Prison Officers Association, said: "This is a
very serious offence. If a prisoner had left his cell in the night he could
have taken a member of staff hostage, got access to keys and opened up the
whole jail . "But when a prisoner has been left compromised during the
night, that is a more serious issue. People could lose their jobs over
this." Two officers who finished their shift at 10pm on Monday are
said to have failed to lock the cell when they shut down the rest of the
prisoners for the night. And a guard who was on nightshift was accused of
failing to spot the door was open when he was doing his rounds. All three
have been told to stay at home while an investigation is carried out. The
blunder wasn't discovered until Tuesday morning when the dayshift came in.
The inmate whose cell was left unlocked was also told by prison bosses that
if he had stepped outside his cell he would have been charged with trying to
escape. A source at Bowhouse, run by service firm Serco, said: "It was
fortunate the lad whose cell was left unlocked was nearing his parole
hearing or there could have been chaos. "A lifer wouldn't have thought
twice about leaving his cell and there could have been real problems."
The Scottish Prison Service said: "Disciplinary matters at HMP
Kilmarnock are a matter for the contractor. But we will be interested in
any outcome." Hmp Kilmarnock said: "Three members of staff are
suspended. An investigation is underway."
January 25, 2009 Sunday Mail
A PRISON doctor fired over claims he caused an inmate to fail a drugs
test has been offered his job back. Dr Hamid Kopal won an apology from
bosses at Scotland's only private jail after an internal inquest found he
was wrongly dismissed. But the doctor could refuse to go back and sue
Bowhouse Prison for more than £100,000. A prison insider said: "This
is a major own goal for the jail. They've had to admit they were wrong and
do a U-turn. "Dr Kopal could decide they've made his position
impossible and sue them. "He is a doctor with a professional
reputation to protect so it would be for a lot of money." Dr Kopal was
booted out as prison medic at the Kilmarnock prison, which is run by
private firm Serco. A con had failed a drugs test and blamed pills
prescribed by Dr Kopal. No record of the prescription for high-strength
painkillers could be found. When it turned up later, Italian-born Dr Kopal,
52, was accused of trying to cover up the mistake and fired. But he claimed
bosses wanted him out because he criticised medical care standards at the
prison. He said he was not called immediately when inmate Andrew Sorley
complained of being ill. Sorley died in hospital of meningitis last year.
The doctor also clashed with bosses over attempts to cut costs by reducing
medication prescribed to prisoners. The insider said: "He's a good
doctor and inmates even launched a petition to get him back." Dr
Kopal, of Stewarton, Ayrshire, said: "I have been reinstated and I'm
not prepared to say anything else." Serco said: "This is an
ongoing staff issue so we cannot comment."
November 30, 2008 Sunday Mail
A PRISON doctor has been sacked over claims he caused a con to fail a
drugs test. Hamid Kopal is accused of failing to record high-strength
painkillers he prescribed - then trying to cover it up. He insists he is
the innocent victim of a witch-hunt because he complained about the
standard of medical care. Kopal, 52, claimed he was not called immediately
when prisoner Andrew Sorley complained of being ill. He died of meningitis
in June. The medic has now launched an appeal against Serco, who run
Kilmarnock's Bowhouse Prison. A friend said: "He's a good doctor and
cares about his patients but the prison authorities just want to run the place
as cheaply as possible." Serco bosses claim Italian-born Kopal did not
record prescribing painkillers to an inmate, who later failed a drugs test.
The doctor insisted records were up to date but a note of the prescription
was later found in the prisoner's file. A jail source said: "The
doctor made a mistake but it's covering up the mistake that is the
problem." Bowhouse said: "This issue is under
investigation." Kopal, of Stewarton, Ayrshire, said: "I can't say
anything because I have to have a meeting with the prison
authorities."
July 18, 2008 Sunday
Herald
A PRISONER died from suspected meningitis after pleas for
medical help from his cell were overlooked by warders at Kilmarnock Prison,
a Fatal Accident Inquiry is likely to hear. Andrew Sorley had previously
fallen into a coma with the disease and it will be claimed he knew the
symptoms. As he begged to be taken to hospital, it is alleged that staff at
Scotland's only private jail dismissed his claims, saying he was "at
it". Medics did not attend to Sorley until 13 hours after his initial
calls for help and he later died at the Southern General Hospital in
Glasgow on June 20. The death, which will be the subject of a Fatal
Accident Inquiry (FAI), raises questions about public health issues and
contagion in prisons. Fellow inmates say Sorley, serving two years for
carrying two knives in public, was heard banging on the door of his cell
pleading for help. Prisoners later tried to revive him after he had
collapsed on the floor of his cell. Prisoner Peter Simpson told the Sunday
Herald that warders checked on Sorley three times during the night but he
did not receive medical help until 9am. Simpson, serving six years for
stabbing a man who had shot him in an earlier attack, said he desperately
tried to help Sorley in his cell the next morning. Sorley's medical records
were not sent with the patient to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, and as
a result diagnosis was delayed, Simpson claims. Figures from the Scottish
Prison Service reveal that HMP Kilmarnock has a higher than average number
of deaths in custody in Scotland, the Sunday Herald can exclusively reveal.
The UK has the highest level of deaths in custody in Europe. Prisoners are
entitled to prompt medical attention and care under prison rule 33 and the
European Convention on Human Rights. Simpson said Sorley had complained of
feeling unwell as early as 8pm on the evening of Monday, June 16. He
claims: "It is also known that prison staff were aware of Drew's
medical status as a head-injured person and that he had previously been in
a coma as a result of meningitis. "Drew appeared in some distress. He
appeared completely disorientated and needed to lean on the walls to steady
himself. It was as if he was drunk. "Drew was by this time lying on
the floor of his cell and a prisoner was present when Drew told an officer
that he knew what was wrong with him. He told the officer that he had
suffered from meningitis in the past and said the last time he had
experienced symptoms like this, his family called an ambulance and Drew
fell into a coma for three days. Simpson claimed staff said they would see
what they could do, but as the officer walked back to the D wing with the
prisoner, it is alleged that the second prisoner was told Drew was "at
it", and "he was probably suffering from the flu and was only
looking for tablets". A month before he died, it is alleged Sorley
complained to prison authorities and submitted a formal medical complaint
claiming he was being denied access to proper medical care. A Scottish government
spokesman said: "The justice secretary Kenny McAskill has repeatedly
said that we will put public safety, not private profit, at the heart of
our coherent prisons policy." The Crown Office declined to disclose
how many FAIs had been held from deaths at Kilmarnock prison, or the total
number of FAIs for all prisons in Scotland. Serco, the private company that
runs HMP Kilmarnock, confirmed there is a nurse or qualified paramedic on
each night shift. A spokeswoman said: "We are not in a position to
comment on the cause of death. We are waiting for the post mortem results.
"We can confirm that our prison officers have first aid training, but
cannot confirm that all the officers working that night had first aid
training. A trained nurse was on duty that night. We are running our own
internal inquiry into the death of Andrew Sorley." She refused to
confirm or deny any of the details of the incident.
June 8, 2008 Sunday Mail
BOSSES at Scotland's only private jail are being taken to court after a
con lost his thumb in the jail's workshop. Barry O'Pray claims they are to
blame for his finger being severed by a circular saw. Serco - who run
Bowhouse jail near Kilmarnock - have been charged with failing to provide
adequate training and supervision for inmates. It is the first time a jail
has been taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive for putting
prisoners at risk. If the criminal action is successful, it is likely
O'Pray will sue the jail. Serco said: "We will be defending the
charges vigorously." It is thought Serco will argue O'Pray
deliberately injured himself to get compensation and took painkillers
before his thumb was sliced off in January 2007. They will claim he was
heard on the phone after the incident saying: "It's sorted out."
O'Pray - who has a string of convictions for various offences, including
dishonesty - was taken to hospital but surgeons could not save his thumb.
The trial will take place at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court in September. Last
night, O'Pray, who is in his 40s, could not be contacted for comment. A
woman who now lives in his former council flat in Crosshouse, Kilmarnock,
said: "The police are never away from the door looking for him. I had
to write to them to say he no longer lives here." Bowhouse opened nine
years ago and has been hit by a string of security and safety breaches.
Remand prisoner David Martin, 20, was jailed in March for at least 24 years
for killing another inmate in the jail's hospital wing last year. Prison
wardens were slammed for not helping the victim while he was attacked. Last
year, two senior officers were suspended - one for a relationship with a
con and the other for allegedly taking bets on when an inmate with cancer
would die. Two years ago, the prison was sued for £200,000 by former guard
Ann Hinshelwood, who claimed she was so badly trained she locked inmates
out of their cells by mistake. Seven men also committed suicide in the
prison between 1999 and 2005. But an inspector recently praised Bowhouse
for its accommodation and prisoners' treatment. The Government pay
£130million over 25 years to have the prison run privately. It has been
dubbed the Killie Hilton due to facilities such as a recording studio, gym,
sports hall and football pitches. All cells have central heating and
inmates are allowed their own DVD players and TVs.
April 27, 2008 Sunday Mail
A PRISONER was caught hiding a contraband mobile phone up his backside
- when warders dialled the number. The cheeky inmate had no option but to
surrender the handset when staff heard his ring tone. A jail insider said:
"They had long suspected he had a phone but couldn't work out where he
kept it. "They somehow got hold of the number and decided there was
only one way of establishing if it was his. "When it rang he was
bouncing off the walls and confessed." The incident at Kilmarnock jail
last week comes amid revelations that Scotland's jails are flooded with
illicit mobiles. Last year, 748 were found - up from 568 in 2006 and just
26 in 2002. Mobiles allow inmates to conduct crime unchecked from behind bars.
March 20, 2008 BBC
A man who murdered a fellow inmate in a "horrific" prison
attack has been sentenced to at least 24 years in jail. David Martin was
captured on CCTV in June 2007 as he kicked and stamped on Michael Cameron
at Kilmarnock Prison. The judge said questions would be asked about why
prison staff had failed to intervene, but Serco - which runs the private
jail - defended its procedures. The sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh
also covered Martin's killing of Gilbert Grierson in March 2006. Martin was
sentenced to life after admitting murdering Mr Cameron and was told he
would have to serve a minimum of 24 years before he could apply for parole.
That sentence also encompasses his period of punishment for killing Mr
Grierson. The 20-year-old had previously admitted culpable homicide by
killing Mr Grierson, 46, with knives, scissors, a frying pan and a bottle
and setting his home in Irvine on fire. His attack on Mr Cameron happened
three months after Martin was remanded for killing Mr Grierson, who was his
mother's former boyfriend. The incident, in Kilmarnock Prison's health
wing, also saw Martin pour boiling water over his victim. Mr Cameron was on
remand at the time, accused of rape. A prison officer witnessed the murder
but did not intervene until re-enforcements arrived. Under prison protocol
a total of three custody officers should restrain any one prisoner.
Martin's lawyer, Bill McVicar, described his client as a damaged individual
who had a life of breathtaking deprivation. But the judge, Lord Matthews,
said Martin's background was not an excuse for his actions. "You are
no stranger to violence and it will be difficult to forget the CCTV images
showing what you did to Mr Cameron," he said. "I do not know what
kind of warped morality made you think it was appropriate to act in that
manner. "No doubt questions will be asked and I know they are already
being asked about the fact that this happened in prison while staff were
watching." 'Tragic occurrence' -- Serco spokesman Michael Clarke said:
"There were four prisoners in the healthcare unit in a ward and there
was one prison officer and one nurse in the immediate area when this
horrific attack erupted. "He quite rightly called for re-enforcements
before entering the ward to stop the incident and within a couple of
minutes extra staff had arrived." Figures released last month by the
Scottish Government showed a total of 225 prisoners had been assaulted at
HMP Kilmarnock in the past seven years. Last year, 49 assaults took place -
a record number.
February 22, 2008 BBC
The company running Scotland's only private jail will review the case of an
inmate murdered by a fellow prisoner, but said there was no staff shortage.
David Martin, 20, kicked and stamped on Michael Cameron and poured boiling
water over his head, in an attack captured on CCTV. A prison officer and a
nurse witnessed the attack, but the warder could not intervene until
reinforcements arrived. Prison operator Serco told BBC Scotland that staff
took the correct action. At the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, Martin,
on remand for murder at the time of the prison incident, admitted murdering
Cameron. Another prisoner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was
involved on the attack on Cameron on 16 June, 2006. The victim was on remand
at the time of the attack, which took place in a four-bed cell in
Kilmarnock Prison's health care wing. Serco spokesman Michael Clarke told
the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that Kilmarnock was a
"safe" prison. "It is, however, holding some violent and
unpredictable men," he said. Lessons learned -- "Although we do
as much as we possibly can to minimise the chances of violence in the
prison, given the nature of the people we are looking after there, we
cannot guarantee that there will never be any violent incidents." Mr
Clarke added: "You wouldn't have enough staff everywhere in the prison
to deal with anything breaking out anywhere, because the prison is quiet at
night and there was an unprovoked, unforeseeable attack in the health care
unit. "Staff were called from other parts of the prison and arrived
very quickly." The incident, he added, would be looked at again and
assessment procedures on the supply of kettles to prisoners reviewed, to
see if lessons could be learned.
February 21, 2008 BBC
A killer has admitted murdering a fellow inmate in a prison cell while
on remand at HMP Kilmarnock. David Martin, 20, kicked and stamped on
Michael Cameron and poured boiling water over his head, in an attack
captured on CCTV. A prison officer and a nurse witnessed the attack. The
warder could not intervene until reinforcements arrived. Martin was on
remand for murder at the time but the Crown accepted his plea to a reduced
charge of culpable homicide. Another prisoner, who cannot be named for
legal reasons, was involved on the attack on Mr Cameron on 16 June, 2006 in
a four-bed cell in HMP Kilmarnock's health wing. Mr Cameron was on remand
at the time. Prison protocol -- Paul McBride QC said prison officer Craig
Brennan wanted to stop the attack but was ordered by a superior not to
enter the cell until reinforcements arrived. Mr Brennan's boss was
concerned for the safety of his staff. Prison protocol dictates three
custody officers should restrain any one prisoner. Mr McBride said after
Martin had been restrained he attacked Mr Cameron again. He said the
accident and emergency doctor who attended to Mr Cameron at Crosshouse
Hospital had rarely seen injuries of such severity. HMP Kilmarnock is
Scotland's only private prison. Serco, which runs the prison, said:
"Our condolences go to Mr Cameron's family for their tragic loss.
"We pay tribute to the bravery of our staff who showed real courage in
restraining Martin and providing medical assistance to Mr Cameron."
Figures released on Wednesday by the Scottish government showed a total of
225 prisoners had been assaulted at HMP Kilmarnock in the past seven years.
Last year, 49 assaults took place - a record number.
January 6, 2008 Scotland on Sunday
SCOTLAND’S flagship private jail has emerged as the most violent in the
country in a damning report by the chief inspector of prisons. Kilmarnock -
which has been vaunted by the government as a blueprint for modern prisons
- had the highest number of attacks on warders and the most fireraising
incidents of any jail in Scotland. The report by Clive Fairweather - which
has been seen by Scotland on Sunday - also reveals that Kilmarnock has the
worst staff turnover in the prison service, and that a culture of fear
exists among warders. Fairweather’s safety and crime prevention report
reveals that in 12 months up to March 1 this year, 21 fires had been
started at Kilmarnock and there were 29 assaults on staff - the highest for
both categories in the prison service. It shows that prisoner discipline is
the worst in any Scottish jail and that violence among inmates is rife. The
report, says: "The prison was operating 13 staff under complement at
the time of inspection, which was adding considerable pressure to an
already difficult staffing situation." Fairweather added: "Custody
officers claimed that staffing levels could at times be dangerously low,
especially in ‘A’ wing and at weekends. They said that two members of staff
had been assaulted over the past year, while there had also been a large
number of less serious incidents. "We sensed generally that staff
seemed to be even more concerned about safety than they had been a year ago
(and being under complement could also have contributed to this). Examples
were cited where it was impossible to arrange relief cover for toilet breaks,
meaning that prisoners were left unsupervised, except by CCTV, during these
periods." The findings of last month’s two-day inspection - the third
since Kilmarnock opened in 1999 - are certain to embarrass ministers, who
three weeks ago announced controversial plans to build a further three
private jails in Scotland. Two anonymous letters, written by concerned
staff at the jail and passed to Scotland on Sunday, will also add pressure
on the Scottish Executive to scrap the strategy. Critics of the programme
say privately operated prisons are most likely to try to save money by
cutting back on staff, despite the risk that poses to warders and prisoners
alike. Commercial confidentiality means the operators of private jails do
not have to reveal their staffing levels. One prison officer claims in his
letter that "the only reason that staff have not been seriously
injured is because of the goodwill of the prisoners". It goes on:
"When staff object or refuse to open wings [containing 60-80 prisoners]
alone, they are pressurised by management. There are quite a lot of staff
relatively new to the prison and they feel that their jobs are under threat
if they do not comply. "I know for a fact that there is not enough
staff to monitor all the cameras. There are two members of staff in this
area to answer two telephones, operate electronic doors, communicate with
radio users and deal with all alarms. It is not surprising that staff have
no time to monitor wings or worksheds. "Staff feel that there have
never been enough staff in the prison but this has become worse than ever
and we feel that urgent action has to be taken." The other prison
officer writes: "Staff shortages occur on a day-to-day basis
throughout the prison. Staff regularly phone in sick due to stress. Everything
the prisoners request they receive - televisions, DVDs, Game Boys, guitars,
music centres, ghetto blasters. The phrase ‘inmates taking over the asylum’
comes to mind. It is about time an investigation into Kilmarnock was
carried out." The revelations have angered opposition politicians and
the prison officers’ union, who have branded Kilmarnock an "explosion
waiting to happen". Derek Turner, assistant secretary of the Prison
Officers Association Scotland, said: "A lot of things mentioned as
being of concern in last year’s report have not been addressed. When you
look at the number of custody officers it is no wonder that there are so
many assaults against them." Michael Matheson, the SNP’s deputy
justice spokesman, said: "What is extremely concerning is that the
situation at Kilmarnock, which was bad last year in terms of assaults among
prisoners and against staff, appears to have deteriorated further.
"Given the extremely serious nature of a number of these findings,
[the jail’s operators] Premier Prisons have got a lot of explaining to do.
I want to have answers quickly as to what they propose to do to address the
problem. It appears to be a prison that is going from bad to worse." A
spokesman for Premier Prisons said: "Clive Fairweather’s report makes
it clear that Kilmarnock continues to excel in many areas. There have been
major reductions in staff turnover. People will use Kilmarnock as a stick
to beat the Scottish Executive over the head with regards to privatisation.
But they are adopting this policy so someone at the top must think that it
is a good idea."
December 13, 2007 BBC
A prisoner has been found dead in his cell at Scotland's private prison,
the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has said. Stewart McBlain, 67, was
remanded in custody on Monday and taken to HM Prison Kilmarnock while
awaiting trial. Prison officers found him dead in his cell on Wednesday. It
is understood he hanged himself. A spokesman for the SPS said: "Police
and next of kin have now been informed and a fatal accident inquiry will be
held in due course."
September 5, 3007 The Herald
Low-paid prison officers employed in the private sector are more vulnerable
to the temptation of corruption, according to Kenny MacAskill. The Justice
Secretary told MSPs yesterday that is one of the reasons why he does not
want to see private companies running prisons. He said the only way
corporations can run prisons more cheaply than the public sector is by
having lower wages for staff, compromising security and morale. Appearing
before Holyrood's Justice Committee, the Justice Minister disclosed the
wide gulf in prisoner-warder ratios between the public sector and
Kilmarnock Prison, with 4500 staff for a prison population of more than
7000, while the Ayrshire prison has 200 staff for 550 inmates. Mr MacAskill
said some of that was because of the design of old prisons, and that the
only saving from the private sector provision of prisons is in the wage
bill: "I believe the prison officers in Scotland do an excellent job
in very difficult circumstance, and I think we have to reward and treat
them fairly. "I believe any strategy seeking to reduce what they are
paid would not only damage them, it would damage security in our
prisons." His appearance before the committee came days after the
minister promised a radical shift in prison policy.
August 19, 2007 Sunday Mail
TWO senior prison officers have been suspended - one over her relationship
with a con and another for allegedly taking bets on when an inmate with
cancer would die. HMP Bowhouse in Kilmarnock - Scotland's only private
prison - has been rocked by investigations into Wendy Hopkins and colleague
Robert Crawford. Hopkins was suspended amid claims of an
"inappropriate relationship" with prisoner David Goldie after she
allegedly secured a job at the jail to be close to him. Crawford was sent
home after being accused of running a book on when an alleged sex offender
with cancer would die. Both officers deny the claims. Jail bosses told
Hopkins, 28, to leave last Friday following an anonymous tip-off about her
alleged closeness to Goldie before gathering their own
"intelligence". Claims include she smuggled a mobile phone into
his cell. But the probe will centre round a tip-off she applied for the job
to be close to Goldie after he was sent there to serve a sentence for
assault. An insider said: "They were said to have been in a
relationship before he was banged up. "It's really bizarre - nobody
has ever heard of anything like it before. "The gossip is that they
were an item and when he got banged up she got herself a job here so they
could be together. "There is CCTV everywhere in here so it isn't
exactly the sort of thing that could be kept hidden. "She has been
accused of smuggling stuff into him but bosses are staying really tight-lipped
about it." At her home near Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire, the prison
officer admitted she knew Goldie but denied they were in a relationship.
She said: "I have been suspended but I don't even know why. "All
they said was that they have received intelligence about me. Some people in
the prison don't like me. I don't know what I'm supposed to have done. I am
waiting for an interview. I'm gobsmacked by this." Last night a
spokesman for Serco, the private firm which operates the prison, said:
"As soon as this came to our attention we took action. "If there
was an inappropriate relationship then that cannot be tolerated and now the
disciplinary process must run its course." Goldie was transferred from
Bowhouse to Greenock Prison the day before Hopkins was suspended. Insiders
claim the move was linked to the probe but Hopkins said: "He was
transferred because he was fighting." Prison chiefs are also
investigating claims that Hopkins' colleague Crawford ran a sick sweepstake
on when a terminally ill inmate would die. The prisoner is a cancer
sufferer on remand as he waits to be charged with sex offences. Crawford
faces disciplinary action. A prison insider said: "As in every prison,
all suspected sex offenders are reviled but this bloke is on his way out
and it is being taken very seriously. "Crawford was told to leave a
week past Friday. He's a popular guy and everyone was shocked. But if he
was caught doing this it has to go down as a bit of a stupid error.
"This does the profession no good at all." At his home in a
converted stable block near Kilmarnock, Crawford declined to comment. A
spokesman for HM Prison Kilmarnock Bowhouse said: "An employee has
been suspended pending a disciplinary investigation. It is very
disappointing." The prison is dubbed the "Killie Hilton"
because of soft conditions. Inmates have been given Setanta SPL football
games for free and there are DVD players, TVs and videos in every cell.
There are also personal trainers, gyms and officers bring inmates papers
and milk in the morning.
May 26, 2007 The Scotsman
THE new Nationalist government is studying radical plans to nationalise
Scotland's only privately-run prison, The Scotsman can reveal. Kenny
MacAskill, the cabinet secretary for justice, has asked Executive civil
servants urgently to tell him what it would cost to bring the controversial
jail into the public ownership. The plan, which has been confirmed by John
Swinney, the cabinet secretary for finance, comes after moves by the new
government to stop the building of two new private prisons in Scotland. Mr
MacAskill is looking at ways of preventing the proposed 700-capacity prison
on the site of the existing Low Moss jail, near Bishopbriggs, from being
run by the private sector. He has asked officials how much it would cost to
buy out the contract for the Addiewell jail being built in West Lothian.
Now he and his colleagues have gone a step further, asking civil servants
if they can abolish private jails altogether - a longstanding policy of the
SNP. The confirmation of the policy came from Mr Swinney. When asked by The
Scotsman whether the SNP would try to take Kilmarnock into the Scottish
Prison Service, he replied: "We have to look at what options are
available to us and that's what we will do." Asked whether they would
reverse the policy of the previous Labour/Lib Dem administration which
supported the use of Kilmarnock as value for money, he added: "That's
where I get into the ground where I would have to unpick existing
arrangements." Mr MacAskill was unavailable to comment. An Executive
spokeswoman confirmed that the new ministers were against private prisons.
She said: "The new government has set out its commitment to a
publicly-owned and run prison service." Derek Turner, the assistant
secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "We welcome any
attempt by the SNP government to bring private prisons into the public
sector." Last night, Labour, which had backed private prisons when in
government, refused to reiterate its support for the policy. Margaret
Curran, Labour's justice spokeswoman, said only: "Any SNP plans to
bring these services back under direct public control will be scrutinised
in depth by Scottish Labour. "What will be vital is that they are
delivering the best possible value for the public pound, without compromising
standards of delivery."
September 18, 2006 The Scotsman
A PRISON officer at Scotland's only private jail has resigned after
failing a drugs test. The 32-year-old was tested after being suspected of
taking the prescription tranquiliser Benzodiazepine at Kilmarnock prison. A
spokesman for Serco, the jail's operator, said he resigned before action
was taken against him.
August 11, 2005
BBC
Nationalist MSP Alex Neil has called on the Scottish Executive to come
clean over the cost of running Scotland's only privately operated prison.
The executive has always refused to give information about the cost of
Kilmarnock Prison, saying that it was commercially confidential. The
Scottish National Party MSP's own research suggested it costs £17,602 per
prisoner per year at Kilmarnock. But that cost did not include mortgage
costs for the prison building, he said. Mr Neil said: "I am writing to
the auditor general for Scotland to ask him to carry out a truly
independent inquiry into the costs of Kilmarnock Prison and to compare these
on a like-for-like basis with the costs of running our publicly-run prisons
in Scotland. He added: "Furthermore the secrecy surrounding the
contract to run Kilmarnock Prison needs to be ended. "This is public
money which is being wasted on a private prison, which as well as being
costly to run has one of the worst performing records of any prison in
Scotland."
August 6, 2005 Daily
Record
A PRISON officer who claimed he was forced out of his job by smokers has
lost his unfair dismissal case. Barry Cochrane said he had to resign after
Kilmarnock Prison bosses failed to stop staff and inmates smoking in
designated fume-free areas. The 34-year-old said prisoners and officers
regularly ignored the no-smoking policy - and chiefs at the private jail
turned a blind eye. The tribunal heard 97 per cent of the prison population
smoke but are only allowed to light up in certain areas Cochrane, from
Irvine, Ayrshire, said when he caught a prisoner smoking in the library
with a woman warden, she told him: 'There are worse things a prisoner could
do than smoking a cigarette.' Premier Prisons said they planned to put in
an extractor system and ensure the no-smoking policy was more strictly
enforced but Cochrane left before the grievance procedure ended.
June 30, 2006 The Scotsman
TWO teenage prisoners have been sent for trial charged with murdering
an inmate at Scotland's only private jail. David Martin, 19, and Andrew
Kiltie, 18, are accused of punching, kicking and stamping Michael Cameron,
21, to death at Kilmarnock prison on 16 June.
June 18, 2006 BBC
A 21-year-old prisoner has died following a disturbance at the
privately-run Kilmarnock prison. Michael Cameron from North Ayrshire was
taken to Crosshouse Hospital with serious injuries at about 2330 BST on
Friday but died on Saturday morning. Two other prisoners, aged 18 and 19,
have been arrested in connection with the death and are due to appear at
Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Monday. A report will be sent to the procurator
fiscal's office.
June 18, 2006 Sunday Mail
A MURDER investigation was launched yesterday after a prisoner was
beaten to death in Kilmarnock jail. The 21-year-old victim, a remand
prisoner, was attacked in the hospital wing of the maximum security private
prison late on Friday night. He was taken to Crosshouse Hospital,
Kilmarnock, where he later died from multiple injuries. Two teenage
prisoners were arrested yesterday and charged with his murder. Both are
expected to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court tomorrow on the murder
charge. A police spokeswoman confirmed last night: "A 21-year-old man
has died following an incident within HM Prison Kilmarnock. The prisoner
sustained serious injuries following a disturbance at around 11.20pm on
Friday. "A report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal. "Two
men aged 18 and 19 have been arrested and are presently detained in custody
in connection with the death." Police said that the dead man would not
be identified until relatives had been informed.
September 14, 2005 The Herald
RELIANCE, the private security firm criticised over a series of prisoner
escapes, has lost the multi-million pound contract for tagging offenders in
Scotland. The initial £14m deal was awarded to Reliance Monitoring in
January 2002 before being extended for a further 12 months, worth £8m,
earlier this year. However, Serco, the com-pany which runs Scotland's only
private prison, has now been awarded preferred bidder status for the tender
to operate electronic monitoring on teenage and adult offenders from next
April until 2011. The Scottish Executive is expected to make an official
announcement next month. Critics believe the monitoring firm lost favour
after its sister company, Reliance Custodial Services, took over prisoner
escort responsibilities in April 2004. Just days into the seven-year £126m
contract's roll-out, the firm allowed a number of prisoners to escape,
including James McCormick, a convicted killer who was aged 17. The decision
to award the contract to Serco is also expected to prove controversial.
Serco owns Premier Custodial Services, the firm which runs Kilmarnock
prison, and was rebuked earlier this year following claims of staff
shortages and negligence. A BBC reporter found evidence that warders failed
to carry out suicide checks, despite six suicides at the jail in a
five-year period. The programme also claimed that officers failed to report
offences, including heroin use, which would attract a fine, to protect the
income of the jail's operator. The screening of Prison Undercover: The Real
Story led to three staff being removed from their duties and an internal
investigation by Premier. A fatal accident inquiry earlier this year into
the suicide of an inmate at the prison in 2002 was highly critical of
failures to monitor him. Premier said a number of improvements had already
been introduced.
August 11, 2005
BBC
Nationalist MSP Alex Neil has called on the Scottish Executive to come
clean over the cost of running Scotland's only privately operated prison.
The executive has always refused to give information about the cost of
Kilmarnock Prison, saying that it was commercially confidential. The
Scottish National Party MSP's own research suggested it costs £17,602 per
prisoner per year at Kilmarnock. But that cost did not include mortgage
costs for the prison building, he said. Mr Neil said: "I am writing to
the auditor general for Scotland to ask him to carry out a truly
independent inquiry into the costs of Kilmarnock Prison and to compare
these on a like-for-like basis with the costs of running our publicly-run prisons
in Scotland. He added: "Furthermore the secrecy surrounding the
contract to run Kilmarnock Prison needs to be ended. "This is public
money which is being wasted on a private prison, which as well as being
costly to run has one of the worst performing records of any prison in
Scotland."
August 6, 2005 Daily
Record
A PRISON officer who claimed he was forced out of his job by smokers has
lost his unfair dismissal case. Barry Cochrane said he had to resign after
Kilmarnock Prison bosses failed to stop staff and inmates smoking in
designated fume-free areas. The 34-year-old said prisoners and officers
regularly ignored the no-smoking policy - and chiefs at the private jail
turned a blind eye. The tribunal heard 97 per cent of the prison population
smoke but are only allowed to light up in certain areas Cochrane, from
Irvine, Ayrshire, said when he caught a prisoner smoking in the library
with a woman warden, she told him: 'There are worse things a prisoner could
do than smoking a cigarette.' Premier Prisons said they planned to put in
an extractor system and ensure the no-smoking policy was more strictly
enforced but Cochrane left before the grievance procedure ended.
August 11, 2005
BBC
Nationalist MSP Alex Neil has called on the Scottish Executive to come
clean over the cost of running Scotland's only privately operated prison.
The executive has always refused to give information about the cost of
Kilmarnock Prison, saying that it was commercially confidential. The
Scottish National Party MSP's own research suggested it costs £17,602 per
prisoner per year at Kilmarnock. But that cost did not include mortgage
costs for the prison building, he said. Mr Neil said: "I am writing to
the auditor general for Scotland to ask him to carry out a truly
independent inquiry into the costs of Kilmarnock Prison and to compare
these on a like-for-like basis with the costs of running our publicly-run
prisons in Scotland. He added: "Furthermore the secrecy surrounding
the contract to run Kilmarnock Prison needs to be ended. "This is public
money which is being wasted on a private prison, which as well as being
costly to run has one of the worst performing records of any prison in
Scotland."
August 6, 2005 Daily
Record
A PRISON officer who claimed he was forced out of his job by smokers has
lost his unfair dismissal case. Barry Cochrane said he had to resign after
Kilmarnock Prison bosses failed to stop staff and inmates smoking in
designated fume-free areas. The 34-year-old said prisoners and officers
regularly ignored the no-smoking policy - and chiefs at the private jail
turned a blind eye. The tribunal heard 97 per cent of the prison population
smoke but are only allowed to light up in certain areas Cochrane, from
Irvine, Ayrshire, said when he caught a prisoner smoking in the library
with a woman warden, she told him: 'There are worse things a prisoner could
do than smoking a cigarette.' Premier Prisons said they planned to put in
an extractor system and ensure the no-smoking policy was more strictly
enforced but Cochrane left before the grievance procedure ended.
July 21, 2005 Daily
Record
A PRISON officer claims he was forced to quit his job because he was
constantly subjected to passive smoking. Barry Cochrane, 34, said
bosses at Kilmarnock Prison failed to enforce their smoking policy, leaving
him exposed to tobacco fumes. He claimed his health suffered and he
had no option but to walk out. Mr Cochrane is now suing Scotland's
only private prison, claiming constructive and unfair dismissal. A
tribunal in Glasgow yesterday heard that 97 per cent of inmates smoked, but
it was only allowed in certain parts of the Ayrshire jail. Mr
Cochrane, from Irvine, claimed prisoners often lit up elsewhere, with staff
turning a blind eye. He also said other officers defied the rules. Mr
Cochrane added: 'I got headaches, sore eyes, stress due to grief from
prisoners.
May 21, 2005 BBC
A prison guard suspended over allegations that he disguised himself as
an inmate to try to get methadone has resigned. The 22-year-old was working
at Kilmarnock Prison in Ayrshire, Scotland's only private jail. He is
alleged to have gone with a group of prisoners who were due to receive the
heroin substitute. Jail operators Premier Custodial Services said inquiries
into the incident would continue. It is understood the officer was stopped
by a nurse before he reached the head of the queue and claimed his actions
had been intended as a joke. He was immediately suspended from duty.
Kilmarnock Prison was embroiled in controversy earlier this year when three
members of staff were removed from normal duties after an undercover BBC
investigation claimed that staff ignored heroin abuse and failed to monitor
vulnerable inmates.
May 20, 2005 BBC
A guard has been suspended after claims that he disguised himself as a
prisoner and joined a queue for methadone at Scotland's private prison. He
is alleged to have gone with a group of prisoners who were due to receive
the heroin substitute at Kilmarnock Prison in Ayrshire. The 22-year-old was
stopped before he reached the head of the queue. He claimed his actions had
been intended as a joke but was immediately suspended from duty. A
spokesman for the operators, Premier Custodial Services, confirmed that a member
of staff had been suspended following "allegations of a breach of
disciplinary procedure". Kilmarnock Prison was embroiled in
controversy earlier this year when three members of staff were removed from
normal duties after claims of malpractice in an undercover BBC
investigation. Prison chiefs launched an inquiry into allegations that staff
ignored heroin abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable inmates despite six
suicides at the jail in the past five years.
May 1, 2005 Sunday
Mail
A PRISONER has won £1500 compensation from jail bosses - for slicing
his thumb in a prison workshop. Now Andrew Halliday, 48, is suing them
again - for letting him fall out of his bunk bed. Halliday, 48, who is
blind in one eye, is complaining that they made him sleep in a top bunk. Controversial £130million Kilmarnock
Prison came under fire after a BBC documentary led to three staff being
removed from duty. The report said prison officers missed suicide checks on
vulnerable inmates. Seven men have killed themselves at the prison since
1999.
April 26, 2005 Evening
Times
CHILDREN are regularly held in Scotland's only private jail, a report
revealed today. Last year five youngsters aged 15 spent up to a week in
Kilmarnock Prison, although not at the same time. Andrew McLellan, Chief
Inspector of Prisons, who published the report, said there were good
reasons to believe children should not be kept in adult jails. He added:
"Whenever I find children under 16 in a prison I condemn it.
"There is no reason to believe they are not treated properly, but
there are very good reasons to believe children should not be in prison.
Prison is no place for a child." Last year Justice Minister Cathy
Jamieson commissioned research to investigate the problem and the Executive
has vowed to increase the number of secure unit places by 40. The report
also found that Kilmarnock, which is run by Premier Prisons and has had a
controversial history since it opened in 1999, had lower staffing levels
and a higher turnover of officers than Scottish Prison Service jails. It
also noted educational opportunities were "impoverished" and
criticised the standard of food. The lack of proper provision for basic
education for adult inmates was very serious, said Mr McLellan and, despite
a budget considerably greater than that in SPS prisons, the food was not
good. Staffing at the jail was "considerably less than at other large
jails". The report said: "Kilmarnock has a total number of staff
which is 80 to 120 less than the total number of staff at Edinburgh or
Perth prisons, which are frequently compared to Kilmarnock in terms of size
and function."
April 26, 2005 BBC
Management at Kilmarnock Prison should take "urgent steps" to
provide better numeracy and literacy courses for inmates, a report has
said. The chief inspector of prisons, Dr Andrew McLellan, also said
that staffing at Scotland's only private jail remained a matter of
concern. Last month three members of
staff at the Ayrshire prison, which is run by Premier Custodial Services,
were removed from normal duties after claims of malpractice in an
undercover BBC investigation. Prison chiefs launched an inquiry into
allegations that staff turned a blind eye to heroin abuse and failed to
monitor vulnerable inmates despite six suicides at the jail in the past
five years. Premier Prison Services also hit the headlines recently after
it was blamed at a fatal accident inquiry for the suicide of a vulnerable
prisoner in the jail. Dr McLellan
also expressed concern about the "high proportion" of
inexperienced employees. On the issue of educating offenders, Dr McLellan
said: "The provision of learning is impoverished - the lack of proper
provision for basic education in reading, writing and counting is very
serious." The current failure to deliver basic skills of numeracy and
literacy during the day should be addressed as a "matter of
urgency". The BBC documentary filmed officers turning a blind eye to
drugs and alcohol use. It also found some prisoners on suicide watch were
not checked regularly. The Prison Officers Association Scotland, which is
not recognised at Kilmarnock, said the BBC's Real Story documentary
"appeared to uncover significant failings" at the jail. Last
month a sheriff ruled that James Barclay, 30, was able to hang himself at
Kilmarnock Prison because of the failure of guards to keep watch on the
"at risk" inmate. The remand prisoner died on 11 January, 2002,
at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, after he was found hanging in his cell
the previous day.
April 24, 2005 Sunday
Herald
CALLS for Scotland’s chief inspector of prisons to resign have been
made ahead of the long-awaited publication of a report into Kilmarnock
jail. Senior prison sources have told the Sunday Herald that the inspection
report by Dr Andrew McLellan will “largely praise” HMP Bowhouse, the
country’s only private prison, despite allegations that staff have been
falsifying documents to show that suicide watches had been carried out when
they had not. The allegations were raised in an undercover BBC documentary
last month that led to three staff being removed from duty and prompted an
investigation by the jail’s operator, Premier Custodial Services. In
addition to the claims that warders failed to carry out suicide checks,
despite six suicides at the jail in five years, the programme alleged that
staff refused to report offences which would attract a fine for Premier.
McLellan, a former moderator of the Church of Scotland, inspected the
prison in October last year, the week before the BBC began filming . But
despite growing pressure on him to re-inspect the prison and investigate
the allegations, McLellan refused to do so. Alex Neil, the nationalist MSP
for Central Scotland, who called for a police investigation after the BBC
programme was screened, condemned McLellan’s refusal to go back into the
jail and the decision to release the report inside Kilmarnock prison. He
said: “The chief inspector of prisons is in danger of becoming a
cheerleader for Premier, rather than an independent entity. “If this report
is glowing, it will give evidence of a co- ordinated conspiracy to hide the
facts about Kilmarnock prison. McLellan has already shown that he is not up
to the job. He sat on this report for weeks and should resign.”
March 24, 2005 Scotsman
A CONVICTED murderer claimed to a court yesterday that the carrying of
knives by inmates of Scotland’s only private jail was
"commonplace". James O’Rourke, 34, made the allegation as he was
jailed for eight years for stabbing a senior manager at Kilmarnock Prison
and, in a separate incident, wounding a Reliance security guard in a court.
Gary Allan, O’Rourke’s counsel, told the judge, Lady Paton, that severe
criticisms had been levelled recently at Kilmarnock Prison’s management,
adding: "The instructions I have is that the place is a shambles and
that the carrying of knives among prisoners is commonplace." The High
Court in Edinburgh heard yesterday that in June last year, when O’Rourke
was being held in Kilmarnock Prison, he assaulted Michael Guy, the
assistant prison director, and stabbed him with a piece of metal. It was
said that O’Rourke had blamed Mr Guy for the withdrawal of privileges and
for being kept in solitary confinement. The attack on Allan Dickson, a
Reliance officer, took place on 23 November in Parliament House, Edinburgh,
where the Court of Criminal Appeal was hearing an appeal by O’Rourke
against his murder conviction. It was ultimately rejected. Judge Paton said
she took into account that O’Rourke had pleaded guilty to the two assaults,
but added: "Officers carrying out duties in connection with the
administration of justice are entitled to the protection of the
courts." On Tuesday, the management of Kilmarnock Prison was
criticised by a sheriff at an inquiry into the death of an inmate who
hanged himself in his cell. Earlier this month, a BBC documentary alleged
that staff at the prison ignored drug abuse and failed to monitor
vulnerable inmates.
March 23, 2005 Daily
Record
A SHERIFF yesterday slammed Scotland's only private prison after an
inmate hanged himself while on suicide watch. James Barclay, 30, was found
dying in his cell at Kilmarnock Prison in January 2002. Kilmarnock sheriff
Colin McKay's fatal accident inquiry report blamed the death on the
officers who were on duty - and owners Premier Prison Services. He said
rules for prisoners on suicide watch were 'routinely ignored' and 'there
were no systems in place to alert senior management to these failures'.
Sheriff McKay added: 'When the failures were patent, management ignored
them. 'The prison guards simply failed to comply with a specific
requirement of their shift.' The two guards blamed, Kevin Beck and Gordon
Kelso, have since been sacked. Last night, SNP MSP Alex Neil said: 'The
Scottish Prison Service should immediately bring the jail under direct
control.'
March 20, 2005 Sunday
Herald
THE crisis surrounding Kilmarnock Prison deepened last night after demands
were made for a police investigation into the running of Scotland’s only
private jail. Nationalist MSP Alex Neil, a fierce critic of the prison
since it opened in 1999, called for the chief constable of Strathclyde
police, Willie Rae, to order an investigation into allegations raised
earlier this month in an undercover BBC documentary. The allegations
included drug trafficking, drug abuse and the falsifying of information relating
to suicide watches. Neil has written to Rae demanding to know what action
will be taken “with a view to bringing the perpetrators of any crime within
Kilmarnock Prison to justice”. He is also to submit a parliamentary
question this week to Lord Advocate Colin Boyd, Scotland’s senior law
officer, to request his assistance in launching a criminal investigation
into claims that prison staff tampered with jail records showing they had
been carrying out suicide watches when they had not. Neil, SNP MSP for
Central Scotland, said: “Falsifying records on suicide watch is a criminal
offence. I want the police to investigate that and bring those responsible
of wrongdoing to justice. Whoever authorised the falsifying of records has
committed a criminal offence in my view.” A BBC reporter found evidence
that warders failed to carry out suicide checks , despite six suicides at
the jail in five years. The programme also claimed that officers failed to
report offences – including heroin use – which would attract a fine, to
protect the income of the jail’s operator, Premier Custodial Services.
March 16, 2005 Scotsman
CALLS for the immediate suspension of a private firm’s contract to run
Kilmarnock prison were rejected by Cathy Jamieson, the justice minister,
yesterday. Three members of staff have been removed from normal duties
after allegations of malpractice in an undercover BBC report. Prison chiefs
have launched an inquiry into claims that staff at Scotland’s only private
jail turned a blind eye to heroin abuse and failed to monitor vulnerable
inmates - despite six suicides there in the past five years. Alex Neil, an
SNP MSP for Central Scotland, called for the immediate suspension of
Premier Custodial Services’ contract to run the jail. "The BBC
documentary totally vindicates all the allegations I have been making for
six years that the management of this prison is disastrous," he said.
Kenny MacAskill, the SNP’s justice spokesman, said the documentary dealt a
serious blow to Executive plans for at least one more private prison.
"They should bring all of our prison service back into public
control," he said. The BBC journalist Steve Allen, who worked as a
prison officer at the jail, said he filmed evidence of officers falsifying
paperwork to show suicide watches had been undertaken when they had not.
Last night Phil Edwards, the chief operating officer for Premier Custodial
Group, admitted the footage was "disturbing" and showed
"unacceptable behaviour" by prison guards. But speaking on BBC
Scotland’s Newsnight Scotland he insisted the company encourages all prison
guards to report drug use.
March 14, 2005 Scotsman
LOTHIANS MSP Fiona Hyslop today called for plans to create a privately
built and run prison in West Lothian to be scrapped following the shocking
revelations of a TV documentary. Ms Hyslop said the Scottish Executive
should abandon proposals for the controversial prison near Addiewell after
a BBC programme last week highlighted a series of failures at a private
Ayrshire facility. The 700-cell prison in the Lothians is expected to be
completed by 2007 at a cost of £65 million. An undercover reporter for Real
Story filmed officers at Kilmarnock allegedly turning a blind eye to the
use of drugs and alcohol. The programme also claimed that warders failed to
carry out suicide checks and cell searches - despite six suicides in the
past five years. Scottish Prison Service spokesman Tom Fox voiced
"real concerns" about the allegations, while the Prison Officers’
Association said it had been making similar accusations since Scotland’s
only privately-run jail opened. Ms Hyslop said: "Private prisons fail
the public, fail the officers and fail the prisoners who are at risk of
self harm. "I
hope the Executive takes on board the revelations and takes steps to rule
out the private sector managing at the prison in Addiewell."
March 13, 2005 Scotsman
THE former chief inspector of prisons has launched a blistering attack
on ministers, accusing them of failing to take action to prevent suicides
in Scotland’s only private jail. Clive Fairweather said he was
"shocked" the Scottish Executive had not ordered inspectors into
Kilmarnock Prison after a BBC documentary alleged that staff failed to
carry out suicide watches. Two years ago, as a direct result of a
television programme which revealed young offenders taking drugs on the
controversial Airborne Initiative, the Executive sent a social work
inspection team into the boot camp immediately. A year later it closed
Airborne down. Premier Custodial Group, which runs Kilmarnock Prison, has
launched an internal investigation but Fairweather said that was
insufficient. Fairweather, who lost his job as HM Chief Inspector of
Prisons in Scotland after criticising the country’s jails, said: " If
a documentary like this indicates that suicide watches are being falsified,
there must surely be immediate action by the authorities, or do ministers
not feel that there’s any urgency because it’s only prisoners’ lives?"
Fairweather singled out justice minister Cathy Jamieson and her deputy,
Hugh Henry, for criticism. An Executive spokeswoman said the current
prisons inspector, Dr Andrew McLellan, carried out an inspection at
Kilmarnock just days before the BBC investigation began. She added:
"He takes the allegations seriously but he thinks the right thing to
do is complete and publish his report in the spring."
March 10, 2005 IRR
News
Campaign groups calling for a public inquiry into the treatment of
immigration detainees have revealed that thirty-five cases of alleged
assault have been referred to solicitors. The National Coalition of
Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC), the Campaign Against Racism and Fascism
(CARF), and the Campaign To Stop Arbitrary Detentions at Yarl's Wood (SADY)
have revealed details of over thirty-five cases referred to four solicitors'
firms (Birnberg Peirce & Co, Hickman & Rose, Christian Khan,
Harrison Bundey). Most of the cases involve allegations of abuse at the
airport or in transit to the airport. In at least six of the thirty-five
cases, the detainee was eventually removed. Two female victims of these
'successful' removals say they needed hospital treatment in their country
of origin, as a result of injuries sustained in the deportation process. At
a press conference held outside the Home Office on the day after the BBC broadcast
Asylum Undercover (a disturbing television programme showing detention
custody officers abusing detainees and boasting about assaults) NCADC, CARF
and SADY called for a full public inquiry into the conditions of
immigration detention in the UK. The Asylum Undercover investigation
centred on Oakington Reception Centre and 'in-country escorting' of
detainees, exposing the abuse of asylum seekers behind the closed doors of
the immigration 'detention estate'. In one of the most shocking parts of
the programme, a custody officer described 'taping up' the skirt of an
obviously scared female asylum seeker who was defecating through fear
during her deportation. (The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that
refusal to allow a detainee who has soiled herself to change her clothes is
inhuman and degrading treatment) Global Solutions Ltd (GSL), formerly Group
4, which runs Oakington Reception Centre, commented in a press release
after the programme that there was 'shock and dismay throughout our company
at the scenes of racist and abusive language and behaviour by some staff at
Oakington detention centre and in-country escorting'. The company said it
was now carrying out a full investigation with the assistance of a team of
former senior police officers. It was also conducting a review of
management and supervisory systems, recruitment, vetting, training and
monitoring. 'If there are systemic or individual failings, they will be
addressed,' it stated. 'Furthermore, if these investigations reveal that
any offence has been committed by any of our staff, the police will be
notified.' GSL and Group 4 have come under the spot-light before. In 1998,
during the trial of nine men following a disturbance, detention officers at
Campsfield (then run by Group 4) were found to have lied and destroyed
property at the centre and then blamed detainees. Group 4 also ran Yarl's
Wood Removal Centre, Bedford, which, in February 2002, was burnt down
during a disturbance triggered by the restraint of a Nigerian female
detainee. And, in December 2003, Yarl's Wood was the subject of a Daily
Mirror report which exposed racism and abuse at the centre. In the
subsequent inquiry into the Daily Mirror allegations, Prisons Ombudsman
Stephen Shaw said 'these were startling and hugely worrying allegations. If
true, they would have called into question not just the management of
Yarl's Wood ... but the fitness of the contractor (GSL) to run any removal
centre ... in this country'. He found that most of the things alleged in
the article had happened, but decided that there was 'not a culture of
abuse, racism and violence'. However he did recommend that the Home Office
investigate the allegations about mistreatment of detainees. Emma Ginn, of NCADC,
told IRR News: 'Stephen Shaw is now conducting a third inquiry into a GSL
run removal/reception centre. When will the government learn? GSL appears
to have retained its contracts to run Yarl's Wood, Tinsley House,
Campsfield House, and Oakington. It was awarded a huge contract, of
undisclosed value, to design, build and manage a 750-bed Accommodation
Centre at Bicester, just thirty days after publication of the inquiry into
the Mirror allegations. GSL was also a partner in the design and build of
Yarl's Wood, which was described in the Prison Ombudsman inquiry into the
fire, as "astonishingly flimsy" and "not fit for the
purpose". This does not fill us with great confidence.'
March 10, 2005
The Herald
MINISTERS were urged last night to ban the private sector from staffing
Scottish prisons after a BBC documentary claimed that the Premier group's
running of Kilmarnock jail amounted to a catalogue of neglect. Premier,
which has managed Scotland's only private prison to date since 1999,
confirmed yesterday that it also wanted to build and run a new 700-cell jail
at Low Moss, near Kirkintilloch. However, after secret filming at
Kilmarnock suggested over-stretched staff were ignoring heroin use and
failing to carry out suicide watches, the SNP said Premier's 25-year deal
there should be terminated and future work kept in the public sector. Kenny
MacAskill, SNP justice spokesman, said: "Rather than follow a failed
Tory policy, the Scottish Executive should bring all of our prison service
back into public control now. Public safety is too important an issue to be
at the whim of private profit." Premier's per capita spending on
prisoners is less than half that of the public sector, mainly because of
the heavy use of electronic security. The row renewed the pressure on Cathy
Jamieson, justice minister, who was under attack for much of last year over
Reliance's botched start to the privatised prisoner escort service.
According to the documentary, Prison Undercover – the Real Story, staff at
Kilmarnock were put in charge of large numbers of violent prisoners with
little training or back-up. They were also said to have ignored offences
which meant fines for Premier and could have jeopardised pay rises; turned
a blind eye to drug abuse to curry favour with inmates; and failed to
conduct suicide watches, despite six suicides in five years. The prison's
director also failed to ask for details when told that staff had falsified
suicide watch logs.
March 9, 2005 Scotsman
THREE prison officers have been suspended from normal duties at Scotland’s
only private prison amid allegations that staff failed to carry out suicide
watches despite seven deaths in the last six years , it emerged last night.
A BBC investigation, Prison Undercover: The Real Story, into Kilmarnock
prison also claimed officers turned a blind eye to drug taking, and allowed
prisoners wide screen satellite televisions and Playstations in their
cells. The programme to be aired tonight shows staff allegedly falsifying
suicide watch forms in the prison when checks have been missed. The staff
claim checks are skipped because of staffing shortages. Relatives of those
who died were said to be "horrified" at the evidence. Myra
Mulholland, the sister of one inmate who has died there in the last six
years, told the BBC: "It is not just a record you are falsifying, it
is people’s lives you are playing with, people who could die as a result of
this." Since opening six years ago seven prisoners have killed
themselves. Two Premier officers were sacked in 2002 after checks were
missed and a prisoner found hanged. Premier Custodial Group, the company
running the prison, was unavailable for comment last night. In a statement
issued to the BBC, the firm said Kilmarnock was a "well run and
safe" prison where staff and prisoner relations were good.
"Premier treats any alleged breach of procedure very seriously,"
the statement said.
March 5, 2005 Sunday
Mail
A BBC reporter posing as a prison officer ended up battling convicts in a jail
riot. Using the name Steve Allen and false references he landed a job at
Scotland's only private prison at Kilmarnock. The reporter from BBC's Real
Story worked at the jail for three months and gathered hundreds of hours of
film from secret cameras. Prison officers are allegedly heard making brutal
comments about prisoners who have killed themselves and those on suicide
watch. The prison has been repeatedly rapped at recent fatal accident
inquiries into suicides. In the film, warders are allegedly heard
encouraging violence and falsifying logs. The one-hour documentary, to be
shown on BBC1 at 9pm on Wednesday, is expected to reveal huge security
breaches and poor conditions for staff and inmates. A BBC spokeswoman said:
'We can confirm that our reporter was involved in a riot and he fulfilled
his duties as a prison officer.' SNP shadow justice minister Kenny McAskill
demanded a full public inquiry into the £130million privatised prison run
by Premier Security. And Derek Turner, of the Scottish Prison Officers
Association, said: 'A public inquiry into this place is long overdue.'
Premier said: 'We have commenced an investigation based on some of
allegations already raised by the BBC.'
January 14,
2005 Ayrshire.co.uk
A 40-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal in
connection with an alleged indecent assault on a teenager inside Kilmarnock
Prison. It’s understood that the 17-year-old ‘victim’, who has learning
difficulties, was allegedly attacked in the private prison’s medical wing.
January 9, 2005
Sunday Mail
CLAIMS that a teenager with
learning difficulties was raped in Scotland's private prison are being
investigated. The 17-year-old was allegedly grabbed, gagged and attacked in
the medical wing of Kilmarnock Prison last month. A police spokeswoman
said: 'A 40-year-old man is the subject of a report to the procurator
fiscal in connection with an alleged indecent assault on a 17-year-old at
Kilmarnock Prison.' Insiders say prisoner rape is rife among drug dealers
in the jail, where murderers, rapists and paedophiles have CD players and
colour TVs in their cells. There have been other attacks at the jail. Two
warders were charged last month for sexually assaulting a female member of
staff. Last year two managers were sacked - one for sexual harassment of a
female member of staff, the other for theft. And a female tutor was sacked
for allegedly having an 'inappropriate relationship' with a prisoner.
December 12,
2004 Sunday Mail
TWO warders at Scotland's only private prison have been suspended after
being accused of sex offences against a female colleague. Stephen Blake,
35, and Jim Hume, 43, who were in charge of the jail workshop, were
escorted from Kilmarnock Prison. It is alleged that the pair were involved
in an incident on November 24 at the controversial £130million PFI prison
run by Premier Security Services. It is understood a distressed female
staff member made a complaint and called police. It is the latest
controversy at the jail, where cons get a number of controversial 'perks'. There
have also been a number of dismissals.
December 10,
2004 Evening Times
PRISON chiefs were today probing a riot at Scotland's only private jail
last night when up to 40 inmates went on the rampage. Several small
fires were lit, a communal room was destroyed and attempts were made to
flood the prison in Kilmarnock during the incident. Thousands of pounds of
damage is thought to have been caused after electrical equipment, including
televisions, were smashed. Rebel prisoners only failed to flood the jail
after frantic staff switched off water supplies. The riot happened when
prisoners refused to return to their cells in E wing, which houses
short-term inmates who are serving less than four years for repeat offences
such as theft and minor assaults.
The riot happened six months after five prisoners appeared in court
charged with causing a major disturbance during which an officer was
injured.
November 28,
2004 Sunday Mail
A PROBE is underway at Scotland's only private prison after two staff were
suspended. Two Kilmarnock jail workshop employees are being investigated by
police and prison chiefs following an incident of 'inappropriate
behaviour'. A spokesman for Premier Prison Services confirmed two staff
were suspended on Friday afternoon following a 'one-off incident' but
denied claims it was drugs-related.
November 19,
2004 IC Ayshire
A SHERIFF has condemned Scotland's only private jail for breaches of rules
and staff shortages after the suicide of a vulnerable prisoner. Sheriff
Thomas Croan said it was the “good fortune” of an assistant director at
Kilmarnock Prison that she has escaped personal responsibility for Gordon
Mulholland's death. He also criticised the failure to keep Mr Mulholland’s
personal records with him, which would have alerted staff that he was on
suicide watch. He had already vowed to kill himself, saying it “only took a
couple of minutes”. Ironically, the only individual to be praised by
Sheriff Croan was a prisoner who cut down his fellow inmate’s hanging body
and tried to revive him, as the warder who falsely claimed to have checked
on him stood by in hysterics. Erica Prueffer, who was then assistant
director of health care at Kilmarnock Prison, sent him to the prison wing
instead of returning him to the health centre where he had been kept under
observation, despite rules stating a case conference should have been held
first. Prison
officer Donna McNeill admitted falsifying a log by claiming she made a
half-hourly check on Mr Mulholland at around the time he hanged himself
after being left alone for about an hour. Ms
McNeil, who underwent refresher training two weeks before the death, was in
hysterics and made no attempt to revive Mr Mulholland. She was eventually
asked to leave while others, including prisoner Brian Rees, took over.
October 4, 2004
Daily Record
VITAL security doors at Scotland's only private prison don't shut properly,
the Record can reveal. Sliding doors used to seal wings at Kilmarnock jail
have had to be filed down after wardens had trouble locking them. Bosses
have called in engineers to fix the problem, but work won't start until
next year. A jail insider said yesterday: 'To think we can't lock security
doors properly is ridiculous. We've got some of the worst criminals in
Scotland here.' The source blamed subsidence at the £130million prison for
making some wing doors jam instead of closing fully. Stevenson claimed:
'This is a botched job from when the prison was built - as with so many
PFI-funded projects.' The American company who run the jail, Premier Prison
Services, have hired structural engineers to find away to repair the damage
and prevent more problems. Two years ago, it emerged
that the prison had received£700,000 in subsidies from the taxpayer while
Premier Prison Services were making huge profits. Kilmarnock also has the
worst discipline record of all Scots jails. There were 3634 recorded
offences and serious rule infringements at the prison in 2001.The next
worst jail, Perth, had 1475.
October 3, 2004
Sunday Mail
A GREEDY prison warder has been forced to quit after being caught nicking
dozens of chocolate bars from the cons' subsidised tuck shop. Chocoholic
Colin Duff, 55, was rumbled after being captured on CCTV cameras installed
after bosses launched a probe into missing treats such as Mars Bars. Shamed Duff
resigned after being called in by bosses at troubled Kilmarnock Prison. An
insider at the jail - dubbed the Killie Hilton because of the cushy lifestyle
led by prisoners - said: 'We knew the prison was
full of thieves but we thought they were behind bars.' Last night, at his
home in Crosshouse, Ayrshire, Duff said: 'I don't want to talk about it. I
have nothing to say.' Two weeks ago, the Sunday Mail revealed two warders
were under investigation over prisoners' jewellery that had gone missing. A
probe is under way over an alleged £20,000 theft of prisoners' effects.
September 24,
2004 IC
Ayrshire
AN INMATE at Kilmarnock Prison told Bowhouse staff he knew that he was
going to die, an inquiry heard last week. Stuart Williams, 44, was already
under medical supervision when he was found unconscious in his cell just
three days into a five month sentence. He was taken by ambulance to
Crosshouse Hospital where doctors were unable to save him. He died from
fluid in the lungs and toxic effects of the drug dihydrocodeine, although
it emerged he already had a heart condition.
September 18,
2004 Sunday Mail
SCOTLAND'S only private jail is fined £17,000 every time a prisoner is
violent or is caught with drugs. The discovery of a mobile phone attracts
an £8000 fine. But critics fear the penalties imposed on Premier Security
Services, who manage Kilmarnock Jail, may stop them exposing rule-breaking.
Last week, the Sunday Mail revealed the prison has been dubbed the 'Killie
Hilton' as prisoners get pay-per-view Setanta TV and newspapers and milk is
delivered to cells. West of Scotland MSP Bruce McFee warned: 'The operators
may be discouraged from being zealous over drugs and weapons because of
restrictions in their contract.' Premier, who make £1million a year from
the jail, said: 'We have a requirement to report a multitude of activities
and are diligent in ensuring this is done.'
September 12, 2004 Sunday Mail
Inmates at Scotland's only private prison have been given free Setanta
TV. Ordinary punters who want to
watch live Scottish Premier League football on the satellite channel pay
£450 a year. But at cushy Kilmarnock Prison - dubbed the Killie Hilton -
inmates can watch for free in one of eight viewing suites. The deal was
thrashed out at a meeting of the Prisoner Information and Activities
Committee between managers and inmates.
Cons were told they could get free milk and a free paper delivered
to their cells by warders each morning. A senior officer told the Sunday
Mail: 'If people knew what goes on in here they would be queuing up to get
in. What goes on in here really is an insult to law-abiding Scots. We're
supposed to quietly place the milk and papers at the sink areas for when
they get up for their breakfast and we're not allowed to wake them
up.' The prison pays around £1000 a
month for Setanta. The senior
officer said: 'It's sickening to think hardened criminals are treated
better than war heroes and pensioners who can't even afford to properly
heat their homes, never mind subscribe to Setanta. 'There aren't many warders who can afford
Setanta in their own homes either.' Managers from Premier Prison Services,
who run the jail, hold meetings with inmates about conditions every
week. Critics believe Premier have
given too many rights to prisoners because they want to avoid the huge
Government fines imposed on them if there are riots. According to insiders, an internal
investigation is underway over the alleged disappearance of £30,000 worth
of prisoners' jewellery and personal effects following the sacking of two
warders.
KILMARNOCK'S private prison - the only one in Scotland - has had a troubled
and violent history since it opened in 1999. In the last two years
alone there has been a constant stream of reports of turmoil at the
jail. July 2004 - Raymond Talent, 47, of Rutherglen, near Glasgow,
choked to death on his vomit in the prison. June 2004 - Killer James
O'Rourke stabbed a prison boss in the stomach. February 2004 - Claims
are made that sex offenders in the jail's H-block are swapping child porn
on CDs. January 2004 - Inmates go berserk and smash up their cells,
forcing warders to call in negotiators to restore calm. January 2003
- Prisoners set fire to a pool table and refuse to return to their cells
during a protest. January 2003 - Four warders are hospitalised after
an attack by a convict. March 2002 - Prisoner David Ballantyne, 22,
attacks another inmate with a hammer in a vicious assault. (The
Mirror, August 11, 2004)
Two ex-prison
officers from Scotland's only private jail have been sentenced for planting
heroin on an inmate. David Allen, 44, of East Kilbride, a former
supervisor at Kilmarnock Prison, was jailed for two years for attempting to
pervert the course of justice. He was sentenced alongside John
Robertson, 26, of Auhinleck, Ayrshire, who received 300 hours' community
service for helping to plant the drugs. (BBC, August 10, 2004)
A SHERIFF has
condemned Scotland's only private prison over gaps in the medical records
of a prisoner found dead in his cell. In his written report following
a fatal accident inquiry in Kilmarnock, Sheriff Seith Ireland said there
should be a system to ensure the accuracy of records was audited so that
errors could be identified. Raymond Talent, 47,of Rutherglen, near
Glasgow, choked to death on his vomit at Kilmarnock prison. Talent,
who was taking medication for epilepsy, had not been examined by a medical
officer after his transfer to Kilmarnock from Barlinnie. He had also been
givem methadone but this had not been entered on his medical records.
Sheriff Ireland said the Scottish Executive and Premier Prison Services,
who run the jail, should ensure staff are 'advised of the importance of meticulous
record-keeping'. (Daily Record, July 19, 2004)
AN East
Kilbride prison officer could find himself behind bars after being
convicted by a High Court jury of attempting to pervert the course of
justice. St Leonards man David Allen, 44, was accused, along with
Ayrshire colleague John Robertson, of hiding heroin in the belongings of
Steven Little at Kilmarnock's Bowhouse Prison -- which is Scotland's only
private jail -- and putting the prisoner at risk of prosecution.
Allen denied the charge but on Tuesday 26-year-old Robertson, of
Auchinleck, dramatically changed his plea to guilty, claiming 'Dai' Allen,
who was his supervising officer, had ordered him to stash the drug in a bag
of medication belonging to Little. A short time later the jury at the
High Court in Kilmarnock retired to consider the evidence and returned with
a verdict on Allen of guilty. (Court Reporter, July 14, 2004)
PRISON officers
at Scotland's only private jail planted drugs on an inmate, a court heard
yesterday. Warder James Callaghan claimed that his boss told him to
hand over a suspected heroin wrap found on a prisoner at Kilmarnock's
Bowhouse jail. Supervisor Dai Allen said it "could be used to
get another inmate or con with", the High Court at Kilmarnock heard.
A package found later during a cell search looked "very similar"
to the wrap seized by Allen, said Mr Callaghan. When asked if it had
been planted, another warder, John Robertson, "grinned ear to
ear", he claimed. Allen, 44, and Robertson, 26, are accused of hiding
heroin in prisoner Steven Little's belongings, then ordering a search of
his cell at the jail in September 2002. (The Mirror, July 8, 2004)
FIVE prisoners
at Scotland's only private jail have appeared in court charged with causing
a major disturbance in which an officer was injured. Derek Thomson,
41, James Cowan, 27, Kenneth Duffield, 24, Craig Scoular, 23, and George
Ralph, 21, deny throwing chairs and TV sets at staff at Kilmarnock Prison
on January 9. They also deny wrecking property, including setting
fire to rubbish bins, and Cowan denies throwing a TV set and injuring
prison officer Paul Kennedy. All five face trial at a later date.
(Evening Times, July 1, 2004)
Lowdham Grange Prison, England
Jul 28, 2018
bbc.co.uk
Lowdham Grange: Prison disorder 'ended by stun grenades
Prison staff reportedly used stun grenades to bring an end to five
hours of disorder in a wing at the jail. Violence broke out on Thursday
night at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire, with an inmate's sister
claiming "flashbangs" were set off by staff. Serco, which runs
the prison, said it would not disclose the tactics used to resolve the
trouble. It said the incident in F wing, which started at about 18:00 BST,
had been "resolved peacefully" by 23:30. The inmate's sister, who
asked to remain anonymous, said she was told prisoners "were chucking
things all over the place". She told the BBC her brother claimed
prison staff had "thrown punches" while "flashbangs"
were set off just before 23:30. The disorder started because inmates were
unhappy with conditions inside the jail, she added. Serco said "a
maximum of six prisoners" had been involved. A spokesman described it
as an incident of "concerted indiscipline" which was "contained
in the wing and no-one was injured". He added: "There were no
punches thrown. We don't go into specific tactics used, but it was resolved
peacefully." Lowdham Grange is a category B men's prison, which houses
888 prisoners.
May 23, 2010 The Daily Telegraph
Under the scheme, the publicly-funded broadcaster handed over footage to
inmates who earn just £30 a week rather than members of its own 23,000
staff. Convicts at a privately run Category B jail, the second-highest
security level, transferred tapes of old television shows to computer to
save them for posterity. Senior staff in the BBC’s archives department
visited the jail to watch the work in progress while meetings were held to
discuss a landmark deal for the prisoners to digitise all 1million hours of
programmes in its vaults. Fearful about the controversy the scheme could
cause, the BBC never discussed it publicly and even the broadcasting union,
Bectu, was unaware of it. Details were obtained by this newspaper through a
Freedom of Information request that took more than four months rather than
the usual 20 working days. The BBC insists that it has not given any money
to Serco, the private jail operator, for the secret scheme nor signed any
contracts, following the pilot project last year. However emails disclosed
by the corporation show that it had shown considerable interest in the
innovative project proposed by Serco, which runs four prisons in England.
The BBC owns more than 1m hours of historic content, some of it decades old
and at risk of being lost. It employs 66 people to look after it, at a cost
of £5m a year, in its Information and Archives department. The corporation
estimates it would take 10 years to safely copy all 100m items in its
collection into longer-lasting digital formats. In December 2008 it was approached
by Serco to become involved in Artemis – Achieving Rehabilitation Through
Establishing a Media Ingest Service – a new project for prisoners to
transfer archive documents to computers. Serco said it would provide
“high-quality employment” and the chance of an NVQ qualification for
inmates and HMP Lowdham Grange, a 628-capacity jail near Nottingham all of
whose inmates are serving at least four years. The firm said this would
mean it could provide a “stable work force”. The BBC was told it would
prove a “very cost-effective” way of digitising its archive, and several
meetings were organised to discuss plans. Managers agreed to hand over 20
hours of old videos, including episodes of Horizon and Earth Story, so
prisoners could transfer them to computer and also add “meta-data” – typed
detailed descriptions of the footage to help producers search through it
more easily. The British Library and National Archives also provided
material for the pilot project. In September last year, five members of BBC
staff visited the jail, where a production workshop had been built, and
were reported to be “pleased” with what they saw of the prisoners’ work and
enthusiasm. However David Crocker, the driving force behind the scheme at
Serco, admitted: “The major concern was around the potential negative
newspaper headlines that the BBC may attract.” The company did discuss the
scheme with one newspaper and one trade magazine but made no reference to
the BBC’s involvement. In November, Mr Crocker told the BBC: “I can’t thank
you enough for finding a project for us to kick-start Artemis.” He said his
staff were drawing up “terms of reference” and would then “cost the
project” of a full-scale digitisation of the BBC’s archive. However no
deals have yet been signed. The BBC said: “The BBC did hold discussions
with Serco about their planned project to digitise archives. As part of
this the BBC, alongside other organisations, provided some material for
Serco to use as part of its feasibility study for the project. “No payment
was made to Serco as part of this, nor was any guarantee or promise of work
entered into. “The BBC has no plans to work with Serco to digitise its
programme archive and has not come to any agreements nor signed any
contracts with any firms about utilising the prison workforce on any
project.”
December 17, 2009 Liverpool Daily Post
A LIVERPOOL prison is among five in the country allowing its inmates to
watch satellite television. More than 4,000 prisoners enjoy the privilege
in private jails nationwide. Altcourse Prison, in Fazakerley, is among the
contractor-run prisons allowing access to a “limited number” of satellite
channels. The number of prisoners allowed to watch satellite varies
according to behaviour. But Justice minister and city MP Maria Eagle
revealed the number was currently around 4,070. The Garston MP was
responding to a written question from Tory MP Philip Davies. She said no
inmates in public sector jails have access to satellite in their quarters.
But they do at Altcourse and other GS4-run prisons in South Wales and
Warwickshire. The other private prisons offering satellite television are
run by Serco in Staffordshire and Nottingham. Ms Eagle said: “In these
establishments, satellite television in cells is generally only available
to prisoners on the enhanced or standard level of the incentives and earned
privileges scheme.” There are 84,500 prisoners in England and Wales,
meaning around one in 20 has access to satellite TV.
March 28, 2005 Nottingham
Evening Post
An investigation has been launched after a man was found hanged in his
prison cell. The discovery of Thomas Maughan's body at Lowdham Grange
Prison was made by officers on a routine check at 11.45pm on Saturday. He
was pronounced dead shortly after midnight, the Home Office said. A
spokeswoman for the prison service said: " A staff patrol found him
hanging from his cell's toilet door. "They tried CPR and paramedics
continued when they arrived, but he was pronounced dead at 12.20am."
The 45-year-old, from Sheffield, was jailed for six years in 2003 for
burglary. Premier Custodial Group spokesman David Bandey said: "I can
confirm he was found dead. It will now go to a full inquiry." In
January, a report by the Prison Reform Trust called Private Punishment: Who
Profits? said private prisons like Lowdham - one of ten in the country -
were missing key targets on reducing serious assaults, drugs and
'purposeful activity' among inmates.
Maribyrnoug
Detention Centre, Maribyrnoug, Australia
Feb 14, 2015 theage.com.au
Shirtless and barefoot, Mustafa Bektas sits on a low bench with his back
against the wall. Five guards and a senior operations manager surround him
in the cell. Two of them restrain his arms. Security footage from the
detention centre in Melbourne's west shows the burly Turkish detainee being
overpowered and pinned to the floor. He said Serco officers tied him up
with three sets of handcuffs behind his back and he was forced down on his
stomach, gasping for air. "[My] breathing was getting slower … they
just kept pushing down and down. One was pushing my head down towards the
ground," he said, speaking through a translator. "One of the
handcuffs were too tight ... I was in pain. All I want is water. I kept
saying that. All I want is water. One of the six of them went to get water,
but the manager turned around and said 'no, don't give him water'."
Bektas said he had been acting out that day, agitated because of a painful
skin condition. He had repeatedly punched the cell wall and screamed to the
guards outside. But officers' heavy-handed response was excessive, he said.
The detainee's claims, which Serco officers have also recounted, are now
being probed by the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Detention centre violence
usually evokes images of riots and chaos on offshore camps such as Manus
Island, but the hostility appears to have reached Melbourne too. Just weeks
after Bektas was allegedly subjected to excessive force at the western
suburbs detention centre, another detainee reported being kicked in the
stomach by a guard. The Chinese woman, who is believed to have a mental
illness, became upset and angry because she could not leave a secure area.
According to internal documents, she threw a computer monitor on the floor
and smashed a microwave when told by a guard she had to stay in Zone B one
night in late January. Witnesses interviewed by Serco said the woman kicked
and punched the officer. One said she then saw the officer raise his leg
and kick the woman hard in the stomach. The report also said problems with
the camera system prevented CCTV footage from the room and corridor from
being reviewed. "[The detainee] said that the officer was standing by
the door and was backing her," the report said. "She said she
touched the officer very softly on the back, to which the officer allegedly
raised his back foot and kicked her very hard on the stomach area."
Photographs obtained by Fairfax Media show the woman lifting her T-shirt
emblazoned with the Australian flag and the word "Melbourne" to
reveal severe bruising on the right side of her abdomen. The woman was
offered pain medication after complaining of discomfort when she swallowed
following the alleged attack. In a letter to the woman last month, Serco
said the matter warranted further investigation and would be referred to
human resources. Serco said it took the allegations "very
seriously" but told her not to expect to hear anything further about
the complaint "due to Fair Work and Privacy Act requirements". A
third case involving a detainee who was attacked led to two guards being
sacked. The detainee, a Sri Lankan man, reported he was pushed and punched
in the face by the officer. Serco apologised to the detainee last month,
saying it does not condone staff acting inappropriately or illegally.
January 20, 2012 The Herald Sun
THE Melbourne immigration detention centre, which holds killers, drug
dealers and failed asylum seekers, has had 25 escapees in three years.
Seventeen fugitives, including drug dealers, are still on the run. Most
were on overstayed or cancelled visas, and are awaiting deportation. The revolving
door at Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre has forced three internal
security reviews that recommended significant changes. Now, red-faced
services provider Serco is scrambling to extend electric fences and add
what immigration department officials describe as "additional
anti-climb measures". One source said changes to "soften"
the centre's image after 2005, which eventually led to an electric fence
replacing razor wire, meant easier escape routes. The source said the centre
was not a prison but Serco had not given staff what was needed to manage
trouble-makers or felons.
July 8, 2011 Herald Sun
In a major security breach, three men awaiting deportation effortlessly
opened doors and internal gates on their way to scaling the centre's
perimeter fence. One was armed with a 45cm double-sided blade believed to
have been smuggled inside. The breakout, in the early hours of Monday, has
enraged departmental chiefs and left red-faced security provider Serco
facing an estimated $1 million fine. The Immigration Department said the
three were Vietnamese nationals detained for overstaying visas. One failed
to climb the fence, injuring his hand. His accomplices succeeded, only to
be recaptured 30 minutes later by police dogs after the alarm was raised.
All three are back in detention. The Herald Sun believes the escapees told
authorities a security officer gave them swipe cards and impressions of
padlock keys. Sources said the incident highlighted a growing "prison
culture" in the centre, which is also home to detainees with
convictions including murder and drug crimes. The department would not
confirm or deny that keys and swipes were used, citing "operational
reasons". But it has ordered an investigation and demanded an
explanation from Serco. The foreign-owned company is paid about $1 billion
to run the nation's detention centres. Serco recently brought in dozens of
foreign staff, mostly from the UK, to staff its centres amid the rising
numbers of boat arrivals.
January 9, 2011 Sunday Herald Sun
A SECURITY firm may be fined over the escape of an Italian national from
the Maribyrnong Detention Centre. A source told the Sunday Herald Sun the
detainee scaled a high wall on New Year's Eve using a rope made of
bedsheets. A spokesman from the Immigration Department said an
investigation had begun to see if the escape was a result of "lax
standards" by the centre operator, Serco. "We're awaiting an
urgent report from Serco explaining the details of the guarding and
security at the time," the spokesman said. "There are clauses in
our contract, which so far we haven't used, that fines can be imposed for
lax standards and we'll be looking closely at that. It shouldn't be
happening." Thirty-five detainees have escaped from Serco-operated
facilities in the past 12 months. Twenty-three have been recaptured.
"We have a contract in place to ensure that Serco provides the service
we require," he said. "They are required to provide secure
detention services. Any escape is unacceptable and the contract has provisions
for fines. "We're waiting on the details of what they say happened to
work out what we can do to improve standards."
October 6, 2010 The Age
An Indonesian man who overstayed his visa has sparked a police hunt by
escaping from the Maribyrnong Detention Centre in Melbourne's west last
night, says the immigration department. The man, believed to be in his 30s,
fled the facility about 8.45pm last night after being taken into custody on
September 21 during an operation to find people who had overstayed their
visas. A spokeswoman said for the immigration department said an
investigation would be launched into how the man fled the facility, which
is managed by private company SERCO. "Victorian police have been
notified and the detention service provider has commenced a full investigation
into the incident," said the spokeswoman. "The department will
work actively with the detention services provider to investigate systems,
procedures and infrastructure that are currently in place." SERCO is
required to prepare a report for the department explaining the
circumstances of the disappearance. The man is the second person to escape
from the centre in recent months, with a Cambodian national fleeing while
on a recreational visit to a nearby ten-pin bowling centre in early August.
He managed to evade two security officers who accompanied him on the
excursion.
August 3, 2010 The Age
A Cambodian national locked up for overstaying his visa is on the run after
escaping from security officers during a trip to a bowling alley in
Melbourne's west. The man, who was being held at the Maribyrnong
Immigration Detention Centre, was taken to the Highpoint AMF Bowling centre
in Maribyrnong on Saturday with another inmate and two security officers as
part of an organised excursion. After bowling a few frames and eating some
fast food, the man fled from the centre about 11.15am and hailed a taxi, a
caller to Radio 3AW's Rumour File said today. He remains on the run despite
a large-scale search involving Victoria Police. A Department of Immigration
and Citizenship spokesman this morning confirmed the man's escape, and said
an investigation had been launched into his disappearance. "The man
originally from Cambodia and another client were being escorted by two
detention service private officers when the man ran off," he said.
"Extra ... staff were immediately called to the scene but the man was
unable to be relocated. Victoria Police were notified and the department
has called for a full report into the incident from (the private security
contractor) Serco." The caller to 3AW said the man was captured on
CCTV camera hailing a cab outside the bowling alley. "No resource was
spared looking for the light-footed escapee, last seen wearing a pair of
two-toned, talcum powder-filled, non-marking soled shoes with the number
six on the back of them," he said. "Going back over the CCTV
footage the client had hailed a cab, changed a few lanes and was last seen
heading in an easterly direction." The Department of Immigration and
Citizenship spokesman said he could not release the man's identity or age
for privacy reasons. He said clients at immigration detention centres were
regularly taken on excursions. "Detention centres are not prisons so
its important to provide clients with recreational opportunities for their
welfare," he said. "The department continues to look for him. Vic
Police have been notified."
June 3, 2010 9 News
Two managers have been sacked and two others have been transferred
following the escape of six people from Sydney's Villawood Immigration
Detention Centre. Nine people initially escaped from the complex in
Sydney's southwest in the early hours of Tuesday, May 25. Three were
detained by police as they escaped, but six others, all Chinese nationals,
remain at large. Serco, the UK-based security company that manages the
centre, undertook a "comprehensive investigation" following the
escape, Serco spokeswoman Emma Needham said in a statement. "Serco has
dismissed two employees today and redeployed two others following an
internal investigation into last week's escapes from Villawood," she
said. "In order to take the management of the centre forward and
deliver the transformation required, changes to a number of positions were
necessary." The company faces fines and sanctions imposed by the
federal government following the escape. Immigration Minister Chris Evans
has ordered an investigation into the breakout, the latest in a series of
escapes from Villawood. Serco also manages security at the Maribyrnong
Detention Centre in Melbourne's western suburbs. It came under fire after a
Chinese national slipped away from two Serco security staff while on a
visit to the Melbourne Aquarium in March.
April 2, 2010 The Age
A CHINESE man has embarrassed his private security minders by escaping from
immigration detention while on an excursion at the Aquarium in central
Melbourne. The man, who was waiting to be sent back to China, escaped while
in the supervised care of officers from SERCO, a private firm that receives
$70 million a year to manage Australia's detention facilities. Immigration
Minister Chris Evans yesterday called for a detailed explanation of the
circumstances surrounding the incident that comes on the heels of
controversial escapes from Sydney's Villawood detention centre. It is
believed the man slipped away on March 24 during a routine group excursion
from the Maribyrnong Detention Centre, where he was being held. Melbourne
police were immediately alerted. The man is the fourth Chinese national to
escape from SERCO's custody in the past week. Only days ago three Chinese
scaled a high-security fence at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre. They
have not been seen since. A spokeswoman for the minister said escapes were
not acceptable and that SERCO was contractually obliged to guarantee the
detention of unlawful non-citizens. SERCO faces heavy fines under its
contract with the federal government if it fails to present a plausible
explanation for the lapses. Although the man was not considered dangerous,
he was due for removal to China for breaches of visa conditions. It is
believed several officers were at the Aquarium, but they failed to notice
the man slip into a large crowd at the tourist attraction. He was with
other detainees from the Maribyrnong centre. It is believed he had been
detained several times by immigration compliance officers for breaching his
visa conditions before being taken into custody. An Immigration Department
spokesman said detainees were held under administrative law and were not
subject to criminal punishment. Detainees were provided with regular
excursions under duty-of-care requirements. Senator Evans has already
ordered an inquiry into security at Villawood where SERCO has sacked 10
staff over security breaches.
Melbourne Immigration Transit Accomodation Facility, Broadmeadows, Ausltralia
May 28, 2017 theage.com.au
Guard jailed for kissing asylum seeker at detention
centre
A former security guard is serving a one-month jail sentence
for kissing an asylum seeker at a Melbourne immigration detention centre.
Theivigan Panchalingham, 37, was previously a Serco guard at the Melbourne
Immigration Transit Accommodation Centre in Broadmeadows. Panchalingham, a
refugee, is understood to have called the asylum seeker into his office at
the detention centre between July and August, 2015. The woman complied and
closed the door as she entered. He offered her some food and tapped his
thigh, in what she believed to be a gesture to sit on his lap. She asked if
she could leave the room. He helped her to open the door and kissed her on
the cheek as she left. Magistrate Meaghan Keogh earlier this month found
the man guilty of one count of sexual assault for the kiss. Ms Keogh said
that while the assault was not the "most extreme", the woman was
not free to leave detention or complain, making her "the most
vulnerable type of victim". "Because those people rely on you to
ensure their safety it does make this offending behaviour a breach of trust
of the most serious type," she said. She also questioned Serco's
failure to intervene after the guard sexually assaulted a fellow guard a
year earlier, which she said could have prevented the more recent assault.
The asylum seeker told the court in a victim impact statement that she
became afraid of most of the guards after the assault. She stayed in her
room most of the time, sleeping only two to three hours each night.
"It has made me feel very unsafe and that rules and laws in Australia
can't protect me. I feel I have no power, I have nothing to support myself,
no one can make me feel safer," she said. The woman, who has been
living in the community since December, said she still had nightmares and
was afraid of anyone who resembled Panchalingham. Ms Keogh also said that
Serco guards sent a clear message to detainees about what was acceptable in
Australia through their actions, and he had undermined the woman's respect
for the law. She told Panchalingham that detainees were "fleeing all
sorts of situations in their home countries and they're coming to another
country where they hope they'll be allowed to live freely and with the
protection of the law and that is something that you yourself have
experienced," she said. In the earlier 2014 incident, he kissed a colleague
who was his junior on the mouth when they were en route to a Melbourne
hospital for work, the Broadmeadows Magistrates Court heard. His colleague
yelled at him and later told her manager what happened but asked him not to
make an official report, thinking that her yelling at the guard would
prevent future attacks. Ms Keogh said that Serco may have lost an
opportunity to deal with the man's behaviour early on. He pleaded guilty to
one count of indecent assault in relation to this incident, for which Ms
Keogh sentenced him to an 18-month community corrections order. The order,
which is to be served after his prison term, includes 200 hours' community
service and participation in a sex offender program. Defence counsel Shaun
Pascoe told the court that the Tamil man was previously a journalist for a
number of Tamil newspapers in Sri Lanka during the country's civil war,
where he witnessed a bombing and other violence. He said he came to
Australia to study business administration at La Trobe University and later
obtained a humanitarian visa to stay in Australia because he feared that
his anti-government stance would put his safety at risk if he returned to
Sri Lanka. Mr Pascoe said his client had already lost his job at Serco and
significant standing in the local Tamil community as a result of the
allegations. He unsuccessfully argued that he should receive a community
corrections order without conviction for both his crimes.
Sep 24, 2016
abc.net.au
Former guard at Melbourne immigration centre faces court over sexual
assault allegations
A former Serco guard at a Melbourne immigration centre has faced court
over multiple charges of sexual assault against an Iranian detainee and
fellow guards. Theivigan 'Dave' Panchalingham is accused of three counts of
intentionally touching a detainee in a sexual manner without her consent,
and three of indecently assaulting two female co-workers. Mr Panchalingham
was employed by Serco as a guard at the Melbourne Immigration Transit
Accommodation (MITA). He was sacked by Serco in December after the
allegations of sexual assault were made against him. He is accused of
kissing the female detainee on the cheek and stroking her thigh and face in
a sexual manner and without her consent. Mr Panchalingham is also accused
of asking a co-worker if he could massage her breasts and of pulling
another colleague down onto him so that her breasts were in his face. In
February, the ABC revealed that one of the alleged victims had disclosed
the sexual assaults to a mental health nurse at the immigration centre and
two days later Victoria Police took a statement from her. The alleged
offences took place between 2014 and 2015. When the allegations against Mr
Panchalingham were first revealed, a spokesperson for the Department of
Immigration and Border Protection said that a security officer had been
immediately stood down from duty and the alleged victim had been provided
with medical support. The case will be heard over five days at the
Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court in February.
November 15, 2010 ABC
Overcrowding has been blamed for a violent brawl involving about 50
children at a Melbourne detention facility. The Immigration Department does
not call it a detention centre, but the
facility in Broadmeadows is one of
the sites the department uses to hold hundreds of unaccompanied children
who are seeking asylum in Australia. Last week there were 43 boys there,
but another 98 were flown in from Christmas Island on the weekend. On
Sunday night tensions flared up and police were called in to stop what the
department says was a series of scuffles involving 50 mostly Afghan
detainees. Seven people suffered minor injuries in the brawl and one is
still in hospital. The department says police and the detention contractor,
Serco, are investigating the fight and charges may be laid against those
involved. Refugee advocate Nicole Mousley, who visited the centre a week
ago, says the brawl was probably the result of overcrowding. "From
what I saw, I don't think that centre is equipped to deal with that many boys,"
she said. "The common room is not designed to hold that many people.
"The boys were telling me they were a bit concerned about the new
people coming and weren't sure what was going to happen once everybody got
there. "The boys actually told me they thought they would be kept
separate from the new arrivals for a while. "So if the new arrivals
have been put in straight away and expected to share the common area, I
think then maybe some of the boys who have been there previously have been
a bit surprised by that." The Broadmeadows centre is one of several
which the Federal Government recently expanded. 'Pressure cooker' --
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the violence is a sign
the Government's asylum seeker policies are failing. "We have now more
than 5,000 people in detention across the country. We have more than 75 per
cent of those people having been in detention now for more than three
months," he said. "When you have an all-time record of people
arriving illegally by boat, all piling into detention centres and creating
the pressure-cooker environment we are seeing, then it is inevitable these
violent incidents and many more will follow, regrettably." Immigration
Department spokesman Sandi Logan says he is concerned by the situation.
"We are concerned about ensuring the centre remains in order, remains
calm and that we are in control, which we are," he said. "These
are all young men, all minors under the age of 18 who were involved in the
disturbance. It was a series of scuffles. We believe focusing around access
to computers, but we've still really to get to the bottom of that." Mr
Logan says the capacity of the centre is 150 and he is confident it can
comfortably house that many. He denies there are inadequate facilities for
the 136 boys now there. "We are confident Serco, the detention
services provider, is able to manage the accommodation and the good order
of the centre," he said.
May 15, 2010 Sidney
Morning Herald
Three people have been taken to hospital after up to 30 teenage asylum
seekers brawled at a Melbourne accommodation centre. The fight broke out at
the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation facility in Broadmeadows at
9.30pm (AEST) on Friday after an argument between two groups got out of
control. A Department of Immigration spokesperson said staff had the brawl
under control before police arrived. Two teenagers who suffered cuts to
their upper bodies have been released from hospital. Another is waiting to
be treated. The facility houses family groups and unaccompanied minors.
Police are investigating the incident while the private contractor which
runs the centre, Serco, is also investigating. The immigration department
says the facility, which holds 50 people, remains calm. The spokesperson
would not reveal the nationalities of the teenagers in the brawl.
Mount
Eden Prison, Mount Eden, New
Zealand
Feb
2, 2020 newshub.co.nz
Man
gets apology, compensation six years after losing part of skull in prison
attack
Almost six years after losing part of
his skull in a brutal, unprovoked prison attack, Corrections has finally
formally apologised to a Far North man. The government department has also
accepted it breached the rights and privacy of Benjamin Lightbody, and
finalised a financial settlement with him. Lightbody was hit in the head
with a pool ball by convicted killer Witeri Neketai in May 2013. In the
written apology from Corrections, Northern Regional Commissioner Lynette
Cave says "we should have done better" and that the medical care
Lightbody received after the assault was "inadequate". She says
Lightbody "should have been attended with more urgency and care".
Private prison company Serco has also accepted breaching privacy laws by
"losing or destroying" video footage taken at the time of the
assault. Lightbody has had six operations to repair his shattered skull and
still suffers fatigue, headaches and confusion. He'd been in the
then-Serco-run Mt Eden remand unit for less than an hour when he was
attacked while waiting to use weights in an exercise yard in May, 2013.
"It's a triumph and achievement for me," he told Newshub's
Investigations Reporter Michael Morrah. "I should actually put it in a
frame and hang it on a wall, because this document proves that myself, my
lawyers, the media, the people that were behind me were right." The
written apology from Cave states: "I would like to formally apologise
to you for the injury you sustained, and for the level of medical attention
you received following the assault. We should have done better." After
the attack, Lightbody was left on the ground unresponsive. No one came to
help. CCTV footage of the moment he was hit shows Lightbody attempting to
get up after three minutes. However he can't, and collapses to the floor
once again. Eventually, he staggers off camera and was later found vomiting
in his cell. It was established that when guards were told of the attack,
they ate sandwiches, had a cup of tea, and finished some filing before
calling an ambulance. Lightbody says it was a total failure by Corrections'
staff, saying their inaction amounted to "negligence, laziness and not
doing their job". Apart from the video of the actual attack in the
yard, Corrections say other relevant CCTV footage, like how Lightbody got
to his cell, was lost or destroyed. Serco now accepts it breached
Lightbody's privacy by failing to look after the remaining video. Lightbody
believes there was something more sinister at play, that the remaining
video must have revealed something "horrific" and that "the
whole thing was a cover-up". A Corrections' investigation found there
was a lack of staff, cameras were not being watched, the scene of the
attack was not preserved and Lightbody's condition was not monitored. Staff
were ordered to undergo more training in emergency response as a result.
Corrections won't say exactly how the additional video went missing, but
Cave told Newshub in a statement there's "no evidence footage was
deliberately deleted by staff". Cave also apologised to Lightbody for
any loss of dignity due to Corrections' actions or inactions, saying
"we regrettably failed our own high standards". Since the attack,
Lightbody has focused on his recovery, fishing and his family. Intricate
work like the jewellery design he's always been passionate about is no
longer possible because of his head injury. He believes Corrections did all
it could to avoid making an apology. But now that he has it, what he cares
about most is that "something like this doesn't happen to anyone
else". He also wanted to thank his lawyers, the Privacy Commission and
the Human Rights Review Tribunal.
Oct 24, 2018
stuff.co.nz
Privacy commissioner recommends Serco could be liable for damages over
missing video of beaten
Controversial private prison operator Serco could be liable for damages
over the loss or destruction of video footage of the beating of a prisoner,
after a decision by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Remand prisoner
Benjamin Lightbody was king-hit to the side of his head with a pool ball in
2013, in a gym yard at Mt Eden Corrections Facility, operated by Serco at
the time under contract from the Department of Corrections. Lightbody had
been in the unit for less than an hour when the assault happened. He
suffered a traumatic brain injury and has now had five surgeries on his
skull, the latest of which has used an implant to fill a hole in his head.
Remand prisoner Benjamin Lightbody was been left with serious injuries
which affect his day-to-day life. Last year Lightbody released video of the
assault to Stuff Circuit because he wanted the public to see shocking CCTV footage. The video shows
the moment Lightbody is struck, and then how nobody - neither prison officers
nor fellow inmates - comes to his aid. Benjamin Lightbody was king hit to
the side of the head with a pool ball in 2013, in a gym yard, while on
remand at Mt Eden Corrections Facility, operated by Serco. He is left to
lie unconscious on the ground and doesn't begin to come to until nearly
three minutes after the attack. He then begins to try to stand up, but
can't. Eventually, about five and a half minutes after he was struck,
Lightbody gingerly stands and then staggers out of the frame of the CCTV camera
footage. Lightbody can't remember how he got from the prison yard, where
the assault happened, to his cell - memory gaps which could have been
filled by video from another CCTV camera, but it was either lost or
destroyed. The Privacy Commissioner had previously ruled the Department of
Corrections breached Lightbody's rights by initially withholding footage of
the attack; by deleting footage from a second camera in the exercise yard,
and by deleting or losing footage of Lightbody being taken from the unit on
an ambulance stretcher. It will be up to the Human Rights Review Tribunal
to investigate and award any damages, and in July this year Corrections
argued to the Tribunal that Serco should be joined to the claim as a second
defendant. Serco consented, but the Human Rights Review Tribunal couldn't
add Serco without an investigation by the Privacy Commissioner. Now, the
way has been cleared for Serco to also face proceedings, after the Office
of the Privacy Commissioner did investigate and found Serco was in breach
of principle 5 of the Privacy Act, which says agencies must have reasonable
safeguards in place to prevent the loss of personal information. In a
letter to Lightbody this week, investigations manager at the Office of the
Privacy Commissioner, Riki Jamieson-Smyth, said, "It appears to me
that Serco saved the footage from all the cameras in the first instance.
"Later, it was apparent that no one was able to explain what happened
to the footage (including why and when it was destroyed) and the destruction
appeared to be inconsistent with the Department's stated internal policies
in place at the time." Lightbody told Stuff Circuit he's pleased with
the Privacy Commissioner's recommendation, saying "Serco are as much
to blame, and therefore should be held equally accountable for breaching my
human rights."
Aug 30, 2018
radionz.co.nz
Prisoner told medical staff of assault before death, inquest told
An inquest into a prisoner's death, which helped spark the Mt Eden
prison fight club inquiry, has heard he told medical staff he had been
assaulted before he died. A framed photo of Nick Evans, who's the subject
of the coronial inquest. A framed photo of Nick Evans, who's the subject of
the coronial inquest. Nick Evans served time for drug offending at the formerly
Serco-run prison and died suddenly after being transferred to a Northland
prison in June 2015. He suffered a collapsed lung, contracted pneumonia and
then caught an infection that later killed him. Labour MP Kelvin Davis
claimed in parliament that other inmates "dropped" him off a
landing and he was transferred to Northland prison because of his injuries.
His death was one of a number of incidents at the jail, which culminated in
the government deciding not to renew private operator Serco's contract to
run the prison. Clint Bambrick, who was brought into Mt Eden Prison as
Serco's transition manager in August 2015, told the inquest there was a
heavy demand for health services at the prison. "MECF [Mt Eden
Corrections Facility] was a busy prison with significant numbers of
prisoner movements, either coming in to the prison or leaving the prison
each day," Mr Bambrick said. "To the best of my knowledge, the
prison operated at full capacity, or almost full capacity, at all times in
2015. The number of prisoners at MECF resulted in a large number of
assessments and put heavy demands on the health staff." Records showed
Mr Evans told medical staff he was thrown on his back by a fellow inmate in
March 2015, but this was never followed up, Mr Bambrick said. "That
information should have been passed to Correctional staff, who in turn
should have investigated that statement, yes, but that process doesn't
appear to have happened, from the information that I can read within the
evidence." In a statement, read aloud by Mr Bambrick, a fellow inmate
said Mr Evans told him about the assault. "He didn't really tell me
much about the assault, but he said he got assaulted by a Black Power
prospect in a room because he couldn't pay them for some tattoos that he
had just got done. "Nick never told me what their names were though.
It was after this that he went really downhill, I thought he was normal and
never complained of sickness or having any chest pains." An earlier
report into Mr Evan's death found there was no evidence he had been
involved in prison fight clubs or that violence or injury contributed to
his death. Coroner Shortland said the inquest was not to be used to address
violence in prisons. "I accept already there is violence in prisons,
what we've heard from Mr Bambrick already is that quite often, if I'm
referring right, there are assaults that go on that are not reported,
they're kept quiet and no one narks," he said. The now-retired head
nurse at the prison, who treated Mr Evans - Patricia Sigley - said he told
her he had hurt himself. She said she jokingly asked if he'd fallen off his
bunk bed, an excuse inmates often used to cover up beatings. She told the
court inmates never told her they had been beaten because they did not want
to nark. The inquest continues.
Nov 20, 2017
.radionz.co.nz
Cell camera left
obscured before inmate's death
Prison staff
failed to search an inmate's cell and neglected to clean an in-cell camera
which had been obscured for 15 days before he died. Wayne Hotton died by
suicide at the then-Serco run Mt Eden Correctional Facility on 6 September
2014. In a finding released today, Coroner Debra Bell stated that the lack
of cell searches, staff shortages and the obscured camera provided the
father-of three the opportunity to prepare for his suicide. At the time,
Serco ran the prison under a public-private partnership. However, 10 months
after Mr Hotton's death, Corrections stepped into and took back control
after it was revealed fight clubs had been taking place at least once a
week. As a result, recommendations made to the prison after an
investigation into Mr Hotton's death were not necessary. The finding noted
that the 45-year-old, who was facing drugs charges, had left a note in his
cell which stated his decision to take his own life had nothing to do with
the prison, its staff or any inmate. The note also stated he had been
treated fairly by staff. In a letter to his former partner, Mr Hotton has
expressed his intention to take his own life. Corrections was unable to
provide Coroner Bell with his original prison and medical file, and as a
result she could not be satisfied he was assessed properly. If under
assessment, at-risk prisoners need to be observed at 30-minute intervals.
The "prison records are murky" as to when Mr Hotton was on
observation, but at the inquest prison staff said that there were no
concerns for his safety. An investigation after Mr Hotton's death found
that a substance, described as being toothpaste by police, had been smeared
on the camera lens of the in-cell CCTV camera. Coroner Bell said the lack
of response by prison staff to clean the camera was a "missed
opportunity", and ultimate responsibility for cleaning it lay with
Serco. At the time, there were also severe staff shortages and Mr Hotton's
cell had not been searched for 25 days. Although Serco's contract stated
that cells only needed to be searched every quarter, Coroner Bell noted
that AFC searches should be carried out daily. If that had happened, prison
staff would no doubt have discovered some items in the cell, including
poems and a note. Coroner Bell noted though that there is no direct
evidence that staff shortages affected him personally. In her findings,
Coroner Bell did not make any recommendations as Corrections had already
increased staffing levels and more frequent cell searches.
Aug 2, 2017
stuff.co.nz
Former inmate releases video of disturbing assault inside Mt Eden
Corrections Facility video
Benjamin Lightbody has made public the video of his assault at Mt Eden
Corrections Facility. An inmate attacked in a vicious assault at Mt Eden
Corrections Facility wants the public to see the shocking CCTV footage.
Benjamin Lightbody was king hit to the side of the head with a pool ball in
2013, in a gym yard, while on remand. He had been on the unit for less than
an hour when the assault happened. Last year, the Department of Corrections
allowed Stuff Circuit to view the footage, but refused to release it under
the Official Information Act. However, Lightbody obtained a copy himself
and has decided he wants the video made public to highlight the impact of
the assault, over which he plans to sue Corrections for failing to keep him
safe. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and earlier this year had to
undergo further surgery to his skull, leaving him with a noticeable hole in
his head. The video shows the moment Lightbody is struck, and then how
nobody - neither prison officers nor fellow inmates - comes to his aid. He
is left to lie unconscious on the ground and doesn't begin to come to until
nearly three minutes after the attack. He then begins to try to stand up,
but can't. Eventually, about five and a half minutes after he was struck,
Lightbody gingerly stands and then staggers out of the frame of the CCTV
camera footage. A police spokesperson said a 36-year-old man was charged
with wounding with intent to injure. He was convicted at the Auckland
District Court and sentenced to 3 years and 8 months imprisonment.
Lightbody says after 18 years working towards being a jewellery designer,
his career has been destroyed. He lost his relationship with his fiancee,
has trouble sleeping and eating, suffers extreme fatigue, seizures, and
"overall loss of dignity and pride as a human being". A prison
inspector's report into the assault, which Lightbody received under the
Privacy Act earlier this year, found prison guards completed office filing
and ate sandwiches while he lay severely injured in his cell. Lightbody
does not remember how he got from the prison yard, where the assault
happened, to his cell where he vomited and then laid on his bed. The
investigation report says he remained on his bed for almost two hours,
until another prisoner alerted staff saying "newbie in cell 4 knocked
out by cell 5 I told you this would happen!" The investigation says an
ambulance was not called until two and a half hours after the attack. The
Privacy Commissioner has ruled the Department of Corrections breached
Lightbody's rights by initially withholding footage of the attack; by
deleting footage from a second camera in the exercise yard, and by deleting
or losing footage of Lightbody being taken from the unit on an ambulance
stretcher. The case was forwarded to the Office of Human Rights Proceedings
to assess whether to commence legal proceedings against Corrections in the
Human Rights Review Tribunal. Northern Region Commissioner Jeanette Burns
said Corrections had offered to meet Lightbody to discuss the incident
"and this offer still stands". She said no compensation claim had
been filed. The attack was investigated by the Corrections Inspectorate and
a number of changes were made as a result, Burns said. Serco, the private
prison operator in charge at the time, was also issued a $50,000
performance notice for having inadequate staffing levels, she said.
May
27, 2017 radionz.co.nz
Prison
safety concerns after Serco's latest loss
Serco
New Zealand lost $10.5 million last year as the consequences of losing its Mt
Eden Prison contract continued to bite. Accounts filed with the Companies
Office show the winding up of the contract that it lost in 2015 cost it a
further $3.2m in 2016. Serco's finances were also hit by lower revenues,
higher staff costs and its first income tax bill in three years. Revenue
for the 12 months to the end of December fell 18 percent to $52.1m, while
staff costs increased 9 percent to $43.8m. It also had to pay $4.3m in
income tax after receiving tax credits in 2015 and 2014. An "onerous contract
provision" of $3.2m was also provided for to account for the costs
incurred in the concluding period of the Mt Eden contract. A $30m loan from
its British parent Serco Group, by way of two separate equity raisings
during 2016, "strengthened" the company's finances, Serco New
Zealand said in a statement. This saw 30m new shares in Serco New Zealand
being bought by Serco Group for $1 each. Serco Group also guaranteed
financial support for its New Zealand arm until at least the end of 2017.
Serco lost $10.9m in 2015 after it was penalised and stripped from its
contract to run Mt Eden Correctional Facility. It lost $2.6m in 2014. Three
years of losses were worrying, Labour Corrections spokesperson Kelvin Davis
said. "It means they're probably going to cut costs and corners when
it comes to running the prison ... I've concerns then for staff safety,
I've concerns for prisoner safety and the safety of the community."
Serco New Zealand was two years into a 25-year contract to run the Kohuroa
Auckland South Corrections Facility in Wiri, which was jointly owned by
InfraRed Capital Partners, John Laing Investments and ACC. Serco Asia
Pacific chief executive Mark Irwin said Serco continued to support the
government's goals to reduce reoffending and create better outcomes for
Māori. "Our focus across the prison is to achieve the outcomes
that we are contracted to deliver on behalf of New Zealanders. Our contract
sets clear performance standards, expects us to achieve significant savings
for government and holds us accountable if we don't deliver. Our people are
part of the communities we serve, and our aim is to make those communities
safer, better places." The prison officers' union says it will be
seeking assurance from Serco no jobs will be lost, in light of the financial
loss. The president of the Corrections Association, Alan Whitley, said his
concern now was that the company may look at recovering costs by laying off
staff.
Mar 31, 2017 radionz.co.nz
It's haere rā to Serco as Mt Eden Prison contract ends
Serco will end its management of Mt Eden Prison today after four years
riddled with allegations of fight clubs, poor supervision and
understaffing. The government handed over management of the prison to the
UK-based company in 2011 but took it back in 2015 after the allegations
were made public. Since then Serco has only been involved in a labour
supply agreement, which finishes today, leaving Corrections back in
control. At the time government handed over management, it said it was
confident the company would succeed. After cases of fight clubs made
headlines, a Chief Inspector's report found organised fighting was
happening at least once a week. A staff member had also taken part in
sparring. The report concluded there was a lack of supervision and staff
were a primary source of contraband. Last year, Corrections chief executive
Ray Smith described Serco's management as "willy-nilly" with
failures on a large scale. Labour's Corrections spokesperson Kelvin Davis
said the problems were insurmountable and Serco had to go. "It was a
total disaster from start to finish. It's a pity it took so long for all
the problems to emerge," he said. "Once the fight club videos
started coming out it became obvious that the prison was out of control and
then the stories just started flooding in to me." The government
should never have given Serco the contract, Mr Davis said. "I just
don't think the privatisation of prisons works, because if they're
successful then people won't go back to prison which means they won't make
money. So [if there's] any organisation that actually has a vested interest
in being unsuccessful it'd be private operators of prisons. "The best
thing I can say to them is haere rā." Since taking over in 2015,
Corrections has employed a new prison director and leadership, reconfigured
the prison units and added 50 more staff. Northern regional commissioner
Jeanette Burns said the prison was now running smoothly. "We've
brought it back up to a Corrections standard essentially, around numbers of
staff, systems and process, general cleanliness of the prison. All those
things that allow you to have good order and control in a prison," she
said. "Prisoners are feeling safer and they've got more routine,
they've got more activities and whilst that doesn't stop some, to them
being discontented that's just part of prison life." Serious assaults
between prisoners had dropped by about 55 percent, from 11 a year to five,
since Corrections stepped in. However, there had been a rise in less
serious assaults between prisoners and staff. That was down to enforcing a
zero-violence policy which meant greater vigilance and reporting of
violence, Ms Burns said. "There's absolutely no evidence of fight
clubs in that prison. There are, however, fights occurring most days in
that particular prison between individual prisoners. "What we do is
step in extremely quickly and ... stop it escalating and the prisoners have
consequences." In the lead-up to the end of the contract, 180 Serco
staff have been hired by Corrections. Serco said it had offered some staff
positions at the prison it runs in Wiri, as required under its employment
agreement. "Since the step-in, we have worked closely with the
[Corrections] Department and our employees at [Mt Eden] managing the needs
of staff and the facility," Serco Asia Pacific chief executive Mark
Irwin said in a statement. Upon the release of the Chief Inspector's report
last year Serco acknowledged it could have done better. "In 2015
certain important areas of service delivery fell below levels which our customer,
the Department of Corrections, the Minister of Corrections and the people
of New Zealand had a right to expect, and for that, we are truly
sorry," the company said at the time. "Important lessons have
been learnt, and we have paid the Crown $8m recognising this and the costs
incurred by the Department in taking over the management of the prison in
July 2015." Corrections Minister Louise Upston said she was confident
the prison was now being run well. "I am reassured that any issues
that may arise ... [at] prisons will emerge early through the changes I
have made to the Corrections Inspectorate to give it more powers and ensure
greater transparency. Private prisoner operators could be held to account
in future through the use of financial penalties and having their contracts
ended, she said. "There are no current opportunities for private
operators in the corrections space at present but the government would not
rule it out in future."
Mar 28, 2017
newshub.co.nz
Mt Eden Prison: Corrections' statistics show change after Serco dumped
An exclusive Newshub report shows a dramatic drop in serious
prisoner-on-prisoner assaults at Mt Eden Prison since Corrections took back
control from Serco. Under Serco's management it was the country's
worst-performing prison, dogged by controversies such as fight clubs and
drug use among inmates. Here's what Corrections' numbers show. A 55 percent
drop in serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults - that's where, for example,
bones are broken or someone needs outside medical attention. Less serious
prisoner assaults have also decreased on Corrections' watch, by seven
percent. Serious inmate assaults on staff are static, but low level
assaults are up more than 50 percent. Corrections' explanation is that it's
being hyper-vigilant recording every incident. Corrections has added 84
beds at Mt Eden, but staff numbers are also up 17 percent. Serco ran a thin
roster with "phantom" guards. And Corrections maintains fight
clubs are no more. "There is absolutely no evidence that there are
organised fight clubs," says northern regional commissioner for
corrections Jeanette Burns. But - and there is a but. "There is
fighting on a daily basis in that particular prison," she says. Thirty
percent of inmates at Mt Eden are gang affiliated. Corrections say they are
responsible for the majority of scraps. "If there is any retaliation
that needs to be carried out within the prison as per gangs orders, that it
is mostly senior gang members asking junior gang members to do that,"
Ms Burns says. Prisoners blow off steam at gym class and Ms Burns says
Corrections is using extra measures to avoid mixing rivals. Zero tolerance
for fighting can mean segregation for prisoners. Daily prison threat
assessments leaked to Newshub provide a rare snapshot of the jail's
relentlessly challenging environment. On one December day two prisoners
were caught fighting in a day room. Another inmate cut open his own arm
with a pen casing. Finds include homebrew hidden in a cordial bottle, three
makeshift weapons and a contraband tattoo gun hidden in a light. January is
peppered with reports of fights, some with lookouts posted. And one
described as "contender fighting". February brought more of the
same with reports of grappling, sparring and full-on fighting. At the end
of this month Serco is out of Mt Eden - totally. There's just a faint
grubby mark left where its sign has already been ripped off the building.
But the private operator still runs the 960-bed men's jail at Wiri, in
south Auckland.
Dec 17, 2016 tvnz.co.nz
Corrections has been forced to pay about $2 million to put up extra Mt
Eden jail staff in an Auckland hotel.
Up to 40 guards at a time have been staying in the four-and-a-half star
Adina Apartment Hotel over 18 months, but Corrections says it's getting a good
deal. A discounted rate had been negotiated, which hasn't been revealed,
and the department wasn't paying the $400 a night other hotels would have
charged, northern regional commissioner Jeanette Burns told RNZ today.
"I think it is a good use of taxpayers' money to look after your staff
decently to run a safe and secure prison." More staff were needed
because of higher prisoner numbers at Mt Eden. Some of the cost was coming
out of the $8m settlement paid when Corrections took back the running of
the remand facility from private contractor Serco, she said. Corrections
was recruiting new staff and the hotel arrangement would not be needed when
they started work.
Dec 13, 2016 stuff.co.nz
Mt Eden former director says he was told to 'reduce the noise' over
fight club allegations video
On the eve of the US election, while the world and the world's media
were captivated by the race for the White House, Corrections released a
public version of a report into the Mt Eden fight club scandal. By then,
the fallout from the scandal had claimed heads - the director of Serco-run
Mt Eden Prison, Gareth Sands, lost his job and the corrections minister was
dumped. Serco, a British outsourcing company run by the grandson of Winston
Churchill, lost the contract. As past of the six-part Stuff Circuit
documentary series on prisons, Private Business, Public Failure, Sands has
spoken out for the first time. The emergence of organised fights, filmed
and uploaded to the internet, caused international embarrassment for
authorities. Sands ran Mt Eden Corrections Facility for two-and-a-half
years, including during the fight club scandal last year. The dumped former
director of the prison says he was told to "reduce the noise" of
his questions over fight club. He lost his job after Serco lost the
contract to run the prison, in the wake of the revelations of prisoners
involved in organised fighting bouts at Mt Eden. An investigation began
into allegations of fight clubs in mid-2014. Sands said he started asking
for information about the allegations in June 2014, but was told to
"reduce the noise" of his requests. He was eventually given a
redacted version of the fight club report in May 2015, in a brown paper
envelope, with, he says, an instruction not to share it with anyone. Sands
says during the time the investigation was underway, he was telling
Corrections that staffing levels at Mt Eden were too low, and that in June
2015 he warned against making Mt Eden take in more prisoners. "On the
11th of June 2015 I specifically said I am concerned about the safety,
security and welfare of staff and prisoners. I said that to the Department
of Corrections and to Serco. "We've just had a murder at Christchurch.
We've had attempted escapes, we've had escapes - not in my prison,
elsewhere there's been escapes - attempted escapes, attempted murders,
serious assaults, and I'm sitting in the prison I'm responsible for saying
'we need to be really careful here, because we're going to get to a point
where something happened'. And it did". A month later, the fight club
story broke. The report Sands says he was given in a brown paper envelope
was made available by Corrections on its website on November 8. The
redacted version mentions other prisons where organised fight clubs were
believed to be happening. In its executive summary, the report writers said
there was no evidence to support allegations of staff involvement in the
fight clubs but it was unlikely staff would have been completely unaware of
the fighting. "There is also evidence to support that Fight Clubs are
being similarly operated at Northern Region Corrections Facility and
Rimutaka Prison. "This information has been gathered from interviews
with prisoners." Other allegations concerned claims staff assaulted
prisoners, a lack of healthcare for injured prisoners and poor incident
reporting. A probation officer claimed fights were organised by corrections
officers, who used prison rations and phone cards as "revenue"
and prisoners claimed members of Black Power carried knives inside Mt Eden
for "personal protection", but these allegations were
unsubstantiated during the investigation. Prisoners were interviewed as
part of the investigation into the allegations and, under questioning, most
of the 12 interviewees showed "real anxiety and fear". "Some
of them became tearful during the interview. "Whilst talking about the
Fight Club, the Special Monitors [investigators] could see the fear build
in them and they would get to a point where they refused to speak
further." Two types of bouts were organised, fight clubs involving
prisoners being bullied or coerced into taking part and "contender
series" bouts, in which fighters agreed to take part. "The
prisoners described the fights as taking part over three rounds of one
minute duration. Fighters are selected on size with ability having no
bearing. The Special Monitors were told of instances of semi-professional
fighters beating prisoners for the full three minutes. The fights were
commonly described as mean, fierce, brutal and hard-out with no mercy for
the contestants." A common theme throughout the reports was the
staffing levels at Mt Eden. In the next episode in the series, to be
published on Wednesday at 6pm, Stuff Circuit explore revelations of a
concerning practice in Corrections-run prisons.
Nov
12, 2016 radionz.co.nz
Former Mt Eden inmate suing Corrections for $5m
A former inmate of the Serco-run Mt Eden Prison is seeking millions of
dollars in compensation from the Corrections Department. Benjamin Lightbody
has been left brain damaged after being assaulted at the prison in 2013.
The Privacy Commission ruled Corrections interfered with his privacy by
deleting or losing footage of the assault, he said. Mr Lightbody, a former
goldsmith, is seeking $5 million in compensation from Corrections for loss of
earnings. "Nearly a third of my brain has been damaged. I find it hard
to sleep, eat regularly, my stamina and my overall health has
decreased," he said. Corrections said it could not comment at this
time as there were still potential proceedings on the case.
Nov 12, 2016 radionz.co.nz
Prison fight clubs: 'It was basically a jungle'
Prisoners were being forced to take part in fight clubs by the
notorious Killer Beez street gang at Mt Eden prison as early as 2009, and
were bashed if they refused. Prisoners filmed themselves fighting in Mt
Eden prison. Prisoners filmed themselves fighting in Mt Eden prison and the
videos were posted on YouTube in 2015. Newly released reports into fight
clubs at the old and the new Mt Eden prison have revealed the extent of the
violence, much of it before private operator Serco arrived on the scene.
Corrections Minister Judith Collins said the reports were appalling and has
called her department's behaviour "disturbing". The Department of
Corrections first investigated reports of fight clubs at Mt Eden prison in
2009. It found the Killer Beez gang was forcing prisoners to fight and
staff were turning a blind eye to the violence. Prisoners told
investigators that if they didn't take part in the fight clubs, they would
be pack-attacked by gang members later. Yesterday the department also
released a 2014 special monitor's investigation into fight clubs at the new
Serco-run Mt Eden jail, which until then it had refused to make public. It
features allegations of savage attacks by gangs, beatings of prisoners by
staff, and the deliberate outing of child sex offenders by prison staff to
the general prison population. Prison staff also told the investigators the
fight clubs were taking place when there weren't enough staff on the wings.
"It was basically a jungle," said Labour Party corrections
spokesperson Kelvin Davis. He said Corrections did nothing about it.
"The report focused on the making sure that the staff weren't doing
anything illegal, but they totally ignore the fact that prisoners were
getting their heads punched in. I just think it's institutional
neglect." Corrections Minister Judith Collins said both reports into
organised fighting at Mt Eden were appalling, and Corrections had left
ministers in the dark. "Both of them, I think, are really disturbing.
And what's really disturbing is that these reports were not elevated at the
right time to the chief executive or to the ministers at the time." In
September 2015, RNZ lodged an Official Information Act request for all reports
into fight clubs at Mt Eden held by the Corrections Department. At the
time, Corrections said there was only one such report - the 2014
investigation - but yesterday it released the 2009 fight club report too.
Ms Collins said that was not good enough. "It's completely
unacceptable - and it's completely unacceptable that a minister who is held
to account for their department does not have access to them." Mr
Davis said everything he had been told by prisoners about violence in
prisons had been backed up by the reports. "They are privileged
prisoners that basically run the show and staff just turned a blind eye to
it and allowed people to get assaulted at will. "It just beggars
belief, to be honest, that this is going on in New Zealand." Green
Party corrections spokesperson David Clendon said the reports confirms the
worst fears about the prison's management. "Effectively it seems that
Serco lost control of that prison, it was an unsafe prison. "That
reality was suppressed for a very long time, and that could have allowed
the situation to carry on for much longer than it needed to. The newly
released information also shows Corrections was warned in 2014 that fight
clubs were probably being run in Rimutaka and Ngawha Prisons. The 2014
special monitor's investigation also said inmates had told it of other
fight clubs at the other two state-run prisons in Upper Hutt and Northland.
Last month Corrections it said there was no evidence of fight clubs at
prisons other than Mt Eden, after inspections in 2015 at eight jails
including Ngawha and Rimutaka.
Nov 9, 2016 radionz.co.nz
Corrections sat on fight clubs investigation
Corrections sat on a finding that there were fight clubs at Mt Eden
prison for a year, partly because the National Commissioner, Jeremy
Lightfoot, doubted he could make Serco do anything about it, a report
shows. Mr Lightfoot ordered the inquiry into organised violence at the then
private-run prison in May 2014, received its findings by the middle of that
year, then did nothing with those for a year until videos of fight clubs
were posted on YouTube by inmates. Mr Lightfoot's inaction is documented in
an audit of a 2014 fight club inquiry report, both of which were released
yesterday for the first time. It shows he wanted more evidence after
reading the inquiry report, but did not ask for it. "Additional work
should have been undertaken at this point to provide greater certainty as
to conclusions and recommendations, given the lack of accessible
evidence" from the interviews with reluctant prisoners, the auditors
said. In addition, Mr Lightfoot told the auditors he held back because the
report's recommendations could not be implemented, as Mt Eden was at that
time a private prison run by Serco and "any ... recommendations were
not able to be implemented by Corrections". Nothing more was done
until fight club videos from Mt Eden were posted on YouTube a year later,
in mid-2015. Corrections chief executive Ray Smith said Mr Lightfoot felt the report lacked substantive facts,
which came out when the YouTube videos emerged. However, Mr Smith did not
agree that Corrections was unable to require Serco to implement changes
Corrections thought were important. Mr Smith said he proved this ultimately
by taking Mt Eden's management off Serco, and forcing multimillion-dollar
penalties on the multinational. A 2015 auditor's report also released for
the first time yesterday said senior managers at the time were distracted
by a major incident - the fleeing of convicted murderer and sex offender
Phillip John Smith. Mr Lightfoot told auditors this escape took precedence
and used up all resources. However, Phillip Smith's escape was in November,
four months after the fight club inquiry's initial findings. "Oh look,
Jeremy Lightfoot has done a terrific job as National Commissioner ... I do
have confidence in Jeremy, but he would agree with me that this should have
been handled better," Mr Smith said. "You know, people are human
and they don't always do everything perfectly, and you to have to look at
things in the round," he said. Corrections also released a report
yesterday that showed there was evidence from prisoner interviews of fight
clubs at Northland and Rimutaka prisons. The department inspected those and
six other state-run jails last year and dismissed that.
Oct 8, 2016 newshub.co.nz
Serco insists there was no cover-up at Mt Eden prison
Serco has denied putting prisoners' lives at risk, despite leaving
entire units unstaffed and unlocked at a facility full of violent
offenders. The private prison operator is under renewed scrutiny following
the release of a damning report into its failed attempt at running Mt Eden
Corrections Facility. The chief inspector found Serco had little control
over the understaffed prison, and employees regularly brought in contraband
for inmates. Corrections monitors knew about the prison's problems, but
failed to report it. Asked by TV3's The Nation how badly Serco ran the
prison on a scale of one to 10, Corrections Minister Judith Collins - who
originally awarded Serco the contract to run Mt Eden - gave it an
"eight or nine". "They did actually do all of those things
to start with - but near the end of the term of their contract, they
started to lose control of the situation." A previously unreleased
report from 2009, when the prison was run by Corrections, found many of the
same problems existed then. It's believed the fight clubs that emerged
under Serco were run by many of the same prisoners. Serco's Asia Pacific
chief executive Mark Irwin said the company didn't cover up anything, and nor
was it penny-pinching by refusing to hire enough staff. "There was no
attempt at all, there was no deliberate attempt through the period of our
contract for us to misreport anything," he told The Nation. "The
inspector found that in his investigation." Prisoners took advantage
of Serco's understaffing, taking part in brutal fights that went
unreported. Mr Irwin says the company didn't "knowingly" put
lives at risk by having entire units unmanned for up to two hours at a
time. "We had no evidence of the organised fighting until the video
evidence arrived," says Mr Irwin. But he does admit they failed to
respond to low staff numbers "quickly enough". "That's
unacceptable. We've admitted that." The prison staff's union raised
concerns about Serco's running of Mt Eden in 2013, including the low staff
numbers and how some prisoners were classified. Ms Collins says today is
the first she's heard about the union's concerns. "It's interesting
that you received those emails," she told The Nation. "I have no
reason to believe the previous minister [Sam Lotu-Iiga] had access to
those. I'd like to see those emails." She isn't aware if anyone at
Serco or Corrections has lost their jobs over the scandal, and wouldn't
comment on whether anyone should have. She also declined to comment about
the fact one of the Corrections monitors at Mt Eden was now working at the
prison in Wiri, south Auckland, which Serco also runs. Nor does she know if
Corrections, which took over Mt Eden after Serco's contract was terminated,
will be hiring Serco staff. "Corrections has told me not all of the
Serco staff have been offered contracts," says Ms Collins. "I
have to rely on the fact that Corrections is undertaking its due diligence
of its staff members." On Friday, Labour's Phil Twyford said there are
reports of fight clubs happening at Wiri. Ms Collins says there's no
evidence that's true. "I've been into the prison, I've had a look
around, I've seen people, I've walked through it. I haven't seen those
reports." Serco has a 25-year contract to run Wiri. Ms Collins says
there are no plans to cancel that arrangement, despite the company's
failings at Mt Eden. "My choice is that we have a provider, or some
providing of some competition." She says Wiri is a very different
prison to Mt Eden, which houses remand prisoners. "People are on
remand because they can't get bail or they haven't yet been sentenced. They
have a stay on average of 23 days - it's a very volatile situation, and
two-thirds of population in prison is there for violence, and most of those
in remand are very violent people."
Oct 6, 2016 newshub.co.nz
Fight club report shows Serco lacked control of Mt Eden prison
John Key says a damning report into the failings of Serco at Mt Eden
prison isn't a sign the Government should end the private prison programme,
despite Opposition claims. The Chief Inspector's report into the remand
prison's 'fight clubs' and availability of contraband has found Serco
didn't have sufficient control over some aspects of the prison's
management. It lays out more detail of how the organised fights worked, how
banned items were brought into the prison and makes 21 recommendations for
change. Labour and the Greens say it shows the "experiment" of
private prisons needs to end. "It's time for Serco - and all private
companies - to get out of our prisons, for good," Green Party
co-leader Metiria Turei says. "The bottom line is that Serco can't be
trusted to run our prisons, and the Government should immediately cut all
ties to this negligent company." Labour's corrections spokesperson
Kelvin Davis says "prisoners had taken control of the prison". He
says private prisons have no place in New Zealand. But the Prime Minister
says Serco's failure at Mt Eden isn't symptomatic of a disastrous
programme. "It's definitive proof Serco failed to carry out the
contract in the way they agreed to with the Corrections Department."
He says so far, the new Serco-run prison in Wiri, south Auckland, shows no
signs of being mismanaged. "Philosophically, I think there's a place
for private and public prisons and they hold each other to account - and
everything we see in Wiri so far, it's a very successful combination."
The contracts mean Corrections can hold them to account if they breach
terms, such as what happened at Mt Eden. Corrections stepped in to take
over the running of the Mt Eden remand facility in July last year and
announced it wouldn't be renewing the Serco contract. In April, the parties
reached an $8 million settlement to cover the cost of Corrections taking
over and performance notices. Serco also missed out on its performance
bonus for the 2015/16 year, totalling $3.1 million. He says if the
Government were to also cancel the Wiri contract, it could open them up to
legal action. Asked if Serco was the wrong company to contract, Mr Key
replied that in hindsight, "clearly they were the wrong choice".
A number of the recommendations relate to the monitoring of contracts in
prisons by Corrections, and the department has already strengthened their
oversight of private prisons, including at Wiri. How the 'fight club'
worked: The organised fights were brutal and sometimes involved
multiple 'rounds' of fighting and a number of consecutive bouts per
session. On occasion, the winner of the first fight would immediately face
another challenger. Some prisoners reported being forced to fight, saying
if they refused they'd be threatened, "pack attacked" or
assaulted by senior gang members from the Killer Beez, Head Hunters, Black
Power and others who helped put on the bouts. Aside from one instance where
a staff member was identified on CCTV footage participating in sparring,
the report says there was insufficient evidence to say staff were directly
involved. Serco senior management received a number of internal reports
suggesting such fights were going on, but it was likely they didn't know
the full extent. Serco's rostering of day-to-day staff was
"fundamentally flawed" because it included staff on annual or
medical leave or who had resigned, resulting in an "inaccurate picture"
of staffing levels. A review of CCTV footage showed instances where no
staff members could be seen in some units for extended periods - in one
situation there was no supervision for more than two-and-a-half hours.
Staff were also seen on CCTV playing pool and table tennis. Long periods
without supervision and a lack of CCTV cameras in cells allowed the fights
to happen, the report found. Serco said plans were in place to address
general violence at the prison before the fight club was exposed, but no
evidence was provided to the investigation. During the media storm around
the prison, it was alleged prisoners suffered serious injuries including
broken limbs and brain damage. Two of those incidents were reviewed and
showed prisoner on prisoner violence which met the criteria to be notified
as a serious assault. But instead of that, they were reported to
Corrections national office by Serco as an accident or not reported at all.
Access to contraband: The report also found staff members were the
most likely to have smuggled in "freely available" contraband to
prisoners. Prisoners spoken to made statements saying anything that would
fit in an icecream container could be smuggled in. Two staff members have
recently been dismissed for contraband-related reasons, while another is
under investigation. The report notes how staff search procedures were
"relaxed" from July 2013. Instead of every staff member being
screened on entry, a minimum of 40 staff were randomly searched each month.
"Although Serco exceeded its own random searching numbers, this meant
that many incoming staff were not searched, giving them the opportunity to
smuggle contraband into the prison, if so inclined," the report says.
Cells weren't searched as often as required, with some having no recorded
searches for three months. Recommendations accepted: Corrections
stepped in to take over the running of the Mt Eden remand facility in July
last year and announced it wouldn't be renewing the Serco contract. In
April, the parties reached an $8 million settlement to cover the cost of
Corrections taking over and performance notices. Serco also missed out on
its performance bonus for the 2015/16 year, totalling $3.1 million.
Corrections boss Ray Smith says since taking over the prison, contraband
searches have been stepped up, staffing levels are adequate and the
kitchens have been upgraded to ensure hygiene levels are met. Staff will
get more training and a Corrections prison director and deputy director
have been appointed. There are extra monitors at the Serco-run Auckland
South Corrections Facility. Mr Smith says he accepts all of the report's 21
recommendations, with 13 already in place and eight underway. The terms of
reference also looked at eight other prisons, but found no evidence of
organised fights there. "From time-to-time the management of prisons
can fail, be they public or privately operated. It's important that we
learn from these experiences to make the Corrections system stronger,"
Mr Smith says. He considers the report "important reading" for
those in prison management to show "what can happen when control
systems fail". Corrections Minister Judith Collins, who was not in the
role when the fight club videos emerged, says she's confident lessons will
be learned "by all parties".
Aug 30, 2016 radionz.co.nz
Asylum seeker forced to take part in fights at Mt Eden prison
A tribunal has accepted an asylum seeker's claims that he was forced to
take part in fights at the troubled Mt Eden prison in Auckland. The man
said he had been beaten during his two-month detention before he was
allowed to move to the Mangere refugee resettlement centre. He told the
immigration and protection tribunal he felt "psychologically ill"
during his stay at Mt Eden. "Some inmates were members of the Black
Power and Mongrel Mob [gangs] and carried knives," the tribunal was
told. "They would take the appellant into a room with some five to 10
persons and he would be forced to fight someone bigger than himself.
"The guards were not aware of what was going on, and he did not inform
them as he feared being characterised as an informer." The tribunal,
which heard his appeal for refugee status, accepted his evidence about the
violence he suffered. It said: "He had been beaten by gang members and
been forced into gang fights against persons stronger than himself on a
weekly basis. "He stated that he still had light scarring on his head
from injuries he had incurred. "Despite the fact that no
contemporaneous psychological or medical evidence have been produced
concerning the effects of this mistreatment on the appellant at this time,
or any report or correspondence from Immigration New Zealand's compliance
branch tendered on the matter, the Tribunal accepts the appellant's
evidence that he was the victim of physical violence and forced to fight in
gang fights during his period in prison." The man claimed refugee
status when he arrived in New Zealand in 2014 from Somalia, and he was
immediately taken to Mt Eden prison. He claimed he been kidnapped and
ill-treated by Al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group in Mogadishu, who
attempted to forcibly recruit him as a jihadist. The man said the group
later killed his father, brother and a close friend when he refused to join
them, and that he feared for his life. He said the violence he suffered at
Mt Eden prison had put him under mental pressure which meant there were
differences between his initial claim made then to Immigration New Zealand
and his subsequent evidence to immigration officials and the tribunal. But
the tribunal said while it allowed for the effects the abuse could have had
on the man's mental and physical health, the violence did not answer the
tribunal's concerns about the discrepancies and implausibility of the man's
version of events in Somalia. The man's Auckland-based lawyer, Tonderai Mukusha,
said his client did not want to comment while he awaited a High Court
decision on his refugee appeal.
Jun 12, 2016 radionz.co.nz
Serco lost $10m after Mt Eden fiasco
Private prison operator Serco lost $10 million last year after being
stripped of its contract to run Mt Eden prison. Serco New Zealand lost the
contract in last July following allegations of assaults and organised fight
clubs. Accounts filed with the companies office showed the multinational
company's New Zealand arm spent more than it earned in the 12 months to the
end of December. Despite revenues of $64m, it costs more than doubled
compared to the previous year to $74.9m. The cost of exiting its contract
to run Mt Eden Prison totalled $10.1m, including the $8m fine it had to pay
to the Department of Corrections for its failures. A further $2m was spent
on what Serco deemed 'disengagement costs' which it incurred when its
contract formally ended in March this year. The accounts showed Serco owes
more debt than its assets were currently worth after having to borrow
$13.5m from its British parent to prop up its books. Serco New Zealand's
total liabilities now exceeded its assets by $18.9m. To reduce its debt
Serco's British parent, Serco Group, agreed to increase its share capital
in its New Zealand arm by $20m. Serco Group has also provided a letter of
support stating it will enable Serco New Zealand to pay its debts until May
2017 - one year from the signing of the accounts. In a statement Serco said
its latest financial statement included costs incurred as a result of the
Department of Corrections 'step in' to manage Mt Eden Corrections Facility
in July last year. "In April this year, Serco and Corrections entered
into a disengagement and transition agreement and settlement deed, which included
a final payment of $8 million to Corrections," it said. The company's
commitment to New Zealand remained strong, Serco Asia Pacific chief
executive Mark Irwin said in the statement. "All Serco New Zealand
profits to date had been reinvested in the New Zealand operations. We
remain absolutely committed to serving the people of New Zealand, providing
services where we can deliver meaningful economic and social
outcomes." Serco is one year into a 25 year contract to run the
country's largest public private partnership at Kohuora Auckland South
Corrections Facility in Wiri. "At Kohuora, we remain focused on doing
a great job. We have a highly professional team in place and we have made a
solid start," Mr Irwin said. In 2014, Serco lost $2.6m.
Apr 4, 2016 newstalkzb.co.nz
Serco pays Corrections $8 million to cover Mt Eden running costs
UPDATED 6.15PM Private Prison operator Serco has had to pay the
Corrections Department $8 million. The sum has been paid after the
department took over the running of the Mount Eden Corrections Facility in
December last year following concerns about Serco's operation. It's become
clear Serco was not employing enough staff at the prison, before the
Government stepped in to end the private company's contract. Corrections
Chief Executive Ray Smith said the 370 staff employed by Serco are still
working at the prison - and Corrections has hired more. "We've been
running with an extra 40 to 50 people here for the last nine months and
that will continue to compliment the staff that are currently Serco
employees". Minister Judith Collins said the Department will now run
the facility, with Serco providing staff at a cost until the end of March
next year. "There are some middle management jobs that might be lost, but
the majority of the staff are going to be employed by Serco with
Corrections paying their wages." Collins said it's a pleasing outcome.
"Serco are not making any money out of this, it's absolutely a cost
only basis, and Corrections is being paid $8 million from Serco to cover
the costs of Corrections having to step in," she said. Serco chief
Mark Irwin said it's only right, as the Government has incurred significant
additional costs. "There were areas of performance, where under the
performance management framework of the contract, we had performance
payments, and we don't believe it's appropriate for that to happen, so we
will be paying that back." Irwin won't say exactly which of its
obligations weren't met. But he's admitted the problems centred on issues other
than just the ratio of officers to inmates. "There has been an
increase in the muster but as I said it's not just that pure number it is
also the profile of the people and some of the initial demands that go
around serving the justice system more broadly". He said the full
detail will be in the Chief Inspector's report - which is currently being
disputed in the High Court. Smith said staff have been told they're still
needed at the facility despite the change of management. He said there'll
be a transition over the next 12 months until the prison is run solely by
Corrections employees. "Mark and his team from Serco will provide a
labour-supply contract that's cost only, it's not a profit-based contract,
so we'll pay for the labour that we receive to help us run the prison
through to the end of the contract and beyond that time period". Smith
said the Department will continue to run the facility. "The Department
of Corrections is going to continue running the prison beyond the end of
this prison contract, but I will provide advice to the Government in due
course about the options that they have with the prison going
forward". It's an arrangement Labour MP Kelvin Davis has reservations
about. "I think maybe Serco should just cut it's losses and hand the
whole thing back over to Corrections and let Corrections start again from
the beginning". Davis said it confirms the privatisation experiment
has been a complete failure. This company that is apparently a
state-of-the-art organisation that can run prisons has now become little
more than a labour-hire company. I just think that's ridiculous, in fact
it's a joke". The Public Service Association said other state prisons
in Auckland suffered when staff were sent to take over the Serco-run Mt
Eden prison. National Secretary Erin Polaczuk said the debacle has cost not
only the corrections department, but the safety and well being of the
offices working inside prisons. "The fact that they were called in to
bail out Serco and what was going on at the Mount Eden, at the same time as
the unanticipated growth in prisoner numbers across the country, definitely
led to a strain within the service". Ms Polaczuk hopes Corrections
Minister Judith Collins will treat the incident as a cautionary tale.
"I think they've learnt their lesson that Serco and other companies
like it which try to make profit from public services and can't be trusted
and cant deliver the best for the people who work in those services or the
people who rely on them".
Feb 15, 2016 stuff.co.nz
Corrections stands by investigation into Serco Mt Eden 'fight clubs'
An investigation into allegations of "fight clubs" at Mt Eden
prison was motivated by prisoner safety and not a desire to target Serco, a
court has been told, after it was revealed investigations into organised
fighting at the prison go back to 2009. Lawyers for the Department of
Corrections have defended their latest investigation, saying it was
"overly cautious and rightfully so", motivated by prisoner safety
and not a desire to target Serco. A Serco-initiated judicial review of a
Corrections investigation report, produced following allegations in
mid-2015 of fight clubs and access to contraband, began in Wellington's
High Court on Monday. The report was completed last year but not released
due to the legal challenge. Serco lawyer Hayden Wilson said the
investigation had failed to cover two earlier reports on organised fighting
at Mt Eden - in 2009, before Serco started running the prison, and in 2014.
The existence and findings of those reports, which were not shared with
Serco until after last year's inquiry was launched, should have been taken
into consideration when judging Serco's management, he said. A spokeswoman
for Corrections Minister Judith Collins, who was in charge of the
department in 2009, said she had not been advised by Corrections of any
allegations or investigations. A Corrections spokesperson said the 2009
investigation looked into allegations of fighting and possible staff
involvement but related to the old Mt Eden prison, which was closed in
2011, and not Mt Eden Corrections Facility. A report found it was likely
that some prisoners were involved in "short fights or assaults carried
out in areas away from staff or CCTV cameras". As the investigation
found it was "unlikely" that staff were involved, Corrections did
not tell Collins about the allegations. Wilson said the reports were among
relevant information omitted from the investigation, as its focus shifted
from its terms of reference into a wider investigation of "the
management practices of Serco". Serco had been "wandering in the
dark" as a result of Corrections' failure to give it sufficient
information about allegations related to the fight clubs and other
problems, which could be disproven in some instances. Early drafts of the
report were "entirely silent" on serious allegations of an
initiation ritual called "dropping", where prisoners were thrown
over a balcony to the concrete below. Serco was eventually provided
information showing none of 90 staff members and prisoners interviewed had
seen the ritual, and successfully asked for the report to be amended to
reflect that. Wilson said other statements from prisoners had been quoted
in the report as fact, despite being "unsubstantiated and inconsistent
with each other". Serco asked for interview notes to "check
patterns" and help its own investigations but was told by Corrections
they could not be provided due to promises of confidentiality - despite no
evidence of "strict undertakings" being provided. Michael Heron
QC, representing Corrections' chief inspector of prisons Andy Fitzharris,
said video footage of the fights demonstrated the need for a thorough
investigation which focused on prisoner safety and not Serco. "There's
only one word that describes it, it is sickening. "That is not a
criticism of anyone, but what it does tell you is...this is not about
Serco, this is about safe custody." Heron said Serco's primary
complaints were about the "tone and language" of the report,
rather than the findings and recommendations, which it largely accepted. He
said investigators had been "overly cautious and rightfully so"
in investigating the allegations and making changes in response to feedback
from Serco. The evidence from interviewed prisoners was obtained "in
circumstances of confidentiality" and weighed by experienced
investigators, and providing the names of interviewees could compromise
their safety within the prison. Serco could also have undertaken its own
investigations based on the evidence it had at its disposal, Heron said.
Corrections took over control of the prison in July after the allegations
were revealed, and last December announced it would invoke a six-year
"break point" in the Mt Eden contract in March 2017 - a decision
which was supported by the private operator. On 27 May, Haroon Ahmed walked
out of the visits hall with a visitor, through the gatehouse of the prison.
Michael Guy from firm Serco which runs the jail said: "This report
recognises both the considerable changes there have been at Dovegate over
the past year and the challenges faced in all prisons of tackling the
problem of psychoactive substances, overcrowding and making our prisons
safer. "We are working extremely hard to address these issues."
Dec 18, 2015 scoop.co.nz
New figures show Serco received $8m in bonuses
Serco has received $8 million in performance bonuses since 2011,
despite Serco’s performance being so poor its contract to run Mt Eden
Correctional Facility has not been renewed. Figures prepared for the Green
Party by the Parliamentary Library, show that over $8 million has been paid
to Serco as performance-related bonuses, over and above its normal contract
rate, since 2011. The figure includes deductions made for poor performance
and not reaching targets. “These payments were bonuses paid on the basis of
Serco doing a good job, but what seems clear is that Serco has not done a
good job,” says Green Party corrections spokesperson David Clendon. “The
Corrections Minister must now review whether the payments were deserved,
given what is known about Serco’s mismanagement of Mt Eden Prison. It is
astounding that Serco, which failed to perform its basic job of managing a
safe and secure prison, has received so much public money for so-called
good performance. “The Government now has a duty to go back through Serco’s
record and ensure that every performance-related dollar it received was
deserved, especially in light of the $17.9 million injection Corrections
received yesterday. “Within a year,
went from supposedly the best performing prison to the worst. “It looks
like far too much taxpayers’ money has been gifted to an organisation that
has clearly failed to do its job,” said Mr Clendon.
Dec 9, 2015 telegraphvoice.com
New Zealand to end Serco's management of Auckland prison
UPDATED 4.07PM: Private prison operator Serco's contract to run Mt Eden
Corrections Facility will not be renewed. "The contract allowed for
non-renewal after six years and I have been briefed on the reasons behind
this decision", Mr Lotu-Iiga says. "In July this year I invoked
the step-in clause in the contract, effectively giving management of the
prison to Corrections". However, I fully support the decision he has
made. "Since then, Corrections has been working to remedy issues staff
have identified". We agree, and would be delighted if you could
provide the facts contained within the two Inspectors reports into MECF;
part one was due on October 30th and part two on November 30th. The
resulting report is now subject to a judicial review, which Serco sought on
the basis that it didn't have sufficient opportunity to comment on and
respond to it. "Ministers will receive advice from Corrections on
options for the future management of MECF early next year", said
Lotu-Iiga, who will have relinquished a portfolio where he was seen to have
floundered to Judith Collins, who is returning to Cabinet in a reshuffle
announced this week. Mrs Collins declined to speak to NBR about the move on
the basis that she's not yet corrections minister - although yesterday she
was happy address Serco bosses via The Paul Henry Show, telling them to
"Front up, come and meet me, we'll go through things - I'll probably
go and meet you before you get a chance to come and meet me". Mr Smith
said they'd been in charge of Mt Eden for around five months and they'd
expect to be there for longer. That sparked a raft of other allegations
about poor management and bad behaviour at the prison, and Serco's been
under pressure ever since. Serco representatives have met with Corrections
Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga to discuss their running of the prison. Labour's
Kelvin Davis says the decision is a "humiliation" for the
Government and proof privatisation doesn't work. Smith spoke to Serco's
Asia Pacific chief executive last night, and the focus on both sides is to
manage the transition carefully. He believes Serco's contract to run the
Wiri prison should be cancelled as well. "Its population, movements
and security profile are all markedly different from those set out in the
documents provided to tenderers six years ago, and in the contract
itself", he said. The department said the allegations of organised
fights had been classified as a significant disorder event, which led to
the performance downgrade.
Dec 7, 2015 stuff.co.nz
Private prison operator Serco has been the Corrections Minister's worst
nightmare
Private prison operator Serco has hit the headlines for all the wrong
reasons this year and the Corrections Minister is now a casualty. Rising
from the ashes (or more specifically, the back bench) is former Corrections
Minister Judith Collins, who is picking up the problem-plagued portfolio,
while also taking Police off her over-loaded colleague, Michael Woodhouse.
It was Collins, who in 2010, reintroduced private operators to New
Zealand's prisons, which began with Mt Eden Correctional Facility. Mt Eden
is now being run by the Corrections Department following serious
allegations of prisoner mistreatment, including fight clubs and claims
prisoners were being dropped off balconies, at the then Serco-run facility.
It was Labour's corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis who brought much of the
controversy at Mt Eden to light and consequently he was rewarded with a
boost up his party's rankings and additional responsibilities. Corrections
Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga denied the move to put Corrections in charge was one
of "no-confidence" in Serco, which has continued to run the Wiri
prison in south Auckland. But the blows continued for Lotu-Iiga and just
last month it was revealed Serco had gone to the High Court claiming it
hadn't been given enough time to comment or respond to the findings of a
report into alleged fight clubs. The report was due to have already been
released but the high number of complaints from prisoners and their
families meant it was given an extension and High Court action will only
further stall its release. As a result of failings at Mt Eden, which also
include issues around contraband and a staff member being suspended after
being caught on camera sparring with an inmate, Serco is facing more than
$1 million in fines. Cancelling the contract with Serco was still an option
according to both Lotu-Iiga and Prime Minister John Key but that decision
wouldn't be made until the review at Mt Eden was completed. Lotu-Iiga, a
former Auckland councillor, will take on the Local Government portfolio,
currently held by Paula Bennett, which signals he didn't do a good enough
job with Corrections but didn't perform badly enough to be pushed out of
Cabinet.
Dec
2, 2015 stuff.co.nz
Serco-run Mt Eden prison falls to bottom of Corrections rankings
Private operator Serco, which runs Auckland's Mt Eden prison, says it
disagrees with the latest prison rankings placing it at the bottom.
Privately-run Mt Eden prison has fallen to the bottom of New Zealand's
prison rankings after months of scandal over "fight clubs" and
alleged mistreatment of prisoners. In the Department of Corrections' most
recent prison performance tables, for the 12 months to June 2015, the
Serco-run Mt Eden corrections facility is at the bottom of the rankings -
in the "needs improvement" category. The performance tables are
meant to monitor and evaluate prisons' performances every three months,
based on their security, internal procedures, and rehabilitation rates. Mt
Eden's fall comes after it was rated "exceptional" in five
previous performance tables stretching back to March 2014. Allegations of
organised fight clubs and contraband issues emerged after recordings of
incidents at Mt Eden were posted online, while a number of inmates have
also made accusations of mistreatment The Department of Corrections took
over control of the prison in July after the allegations were revealed.
Labour corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis said Mt Eden's
"nose-dive" in the latest rankings put a question mark of
previous plaudits for its performance. "I don't accept that between
March and June of this year, that everything just went pear-shaped - I'd
say that it's been pear-shaped for a long time, they just weren't on top of
the situation." Davis said Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga and his
department had been guilty of "wilful blindness" regarding
problems at the prison. "You know, hear no evil, see no evil, just
pretending that things were going fine when they obviously weren't."
In a statement, Serco operations director Scott McNairn said the company
did not accept its latest rating, and claimed Corrections did not give it a
chance to review the latest tables before they were published. In
September, 3 News revealed the private prison operator was facing more than
$1 million in fines for shortcomings at Mt Eden, such as failing to keep
serious assaults down and unlawful detention. Last month, Serco announced
it was challenging a report into the alleged fight clubs in the High Court,
claiming it had not been given enough time to comment or respond to its
findings.
Nov
25, 2015 odt.co.nz
Prison
going to court over fight club claims
Private
prison operator Serco is going to the High Court to challenge ongoing
allegations of having organised fight clubs among inmates in Auckland's
troubled Mount Eden prison. The prison operator was fighting the
accusations made in a draft report completed by Prison Inspectorate last
month, Radio New Zealand reported today. It was revealed Serco did not
think they "had enough opportunity to comment and respond", a
High Court document obtained by the broadcaster stated. The draft was
completed in two parts by Radio New Zealand. The first looked at the brawl
itself and whether a fight club was operating at the prison. The second
part wanted to look into Serco's protocol of violent inmates and how the
prisoners were getting cellphones.
Nov
9, 2015 m.nzherald.co.nz
Serco
training left new staff at risk
Serco
became so consumed with moving as many prison guards as it could through
its training school that it left its new employees at risk when they
started on the job, a New Zealand Qualifications Authority report has
found. In a report critical of Serco NZ Training, NZQA found the company's
initial training course had been deliberately structured to tick the legal
boxes needed to get new employees into prison and working. In doing so it
created patchwork training leaving "Serco employees with the basic
requirements to perform as prison officers" but creating "a risk
to the employees working in a complex and high-risk environment like
prisons". The NZQA report studied the private Serco Training facility
which exists solely to train prison guards to work in Mt Eden and Wiri
prisons. Serco Training is owned by Serco, the company which has the
contract to manage the private prisons. Serco's management of Mt Eden
prison - which the training facility is based - has come in for criticism
after mobile phones recordings in the jail showed contraband and violence
among inmates.The Department of Corrections took over management of the
prison in June while an inquiry was being carried out. The NZQA report was
critical of Serco NZ Training's systems which had seen 372 new prison
guards trained since the company started in mid-2013. It found a heavy
focus on the nine-week "initial training" needed to have a new
staff member "legally recognised as a prison officer". But the
"initial training" content plucked the legal requirements from
the level three National Certificate in Offender Management course which
aimed to allow new guards "consolidate their prison management
skills" while building confidence through work-based training. Only 26
per cent of those enrolled had completed the full course inside the six
months it was meant to take. NZQA called the qualification rates
"weak", saying it was "largely due to flaws in the programme
design" including assessment methods which were "impractical and
unrealistic". Even if students had wanted to push on to the full
qualification, there was a "lack of capacity in Serco Training to support
trainees through workplace training". "Direction from governance
(Serco managers) was overly focused on ensuring sufficient supply of prison
officers." NZQA found Serco NZ Training "was not adequately
resourced" which "led to a sacrifice in qualification completion
putting Serco employees at risk of not refining their skills while
operating in a complex and high-risk prison environment". NZQA found
Serco's new prison at Wiri meant it needed "hundreds of new prison
officers to be recruited and trained". It meant a "very high
throughput of initial training." A Serco spokeswoman said recruitment
and training of Corrections Officers to staff Auckland South Corrections
Facility was a primary focus during the period under review by NZQA.
"We are pleased NZQA found Serco Training met the most critical needs
of training, ensuring all staff met the requirements to work as a prison
officer. The report recognises that Serco Training's initial training
course for Corrections Officers clearly provides new employees with the
knowledge, skills and attitudes for this role. "Many of our officers
are well down the track to achieving the extended NCOM 3 qualification,
which will further enhance their ability to make a difference in prisoners'
lives. Serco Training is committed to lifting the qualification completion
rate for the National Certificate in Offender Management, in line with
NZQA's recommendations." Corrections commercial director Julie
Robertson said there was "no contractual relationship" with
Serco's training arm. Under the contract Corrections had with the company,
she said Serco was required "to have sufficient suitable staff members
trained to a minimum legislated standard to deliver their contract".
Since July, Corrections had a prison director and management team put in Mt
Eden prison to "oversee its day to day running". "This
management team has been helping Serco staff lift the standard of operation
of Mt Eden Corrections Facility to acceptable levels." Labour prisons'
spokesman Kelvin Davis said it would be expected an employer would help
staff prepare as best they could for challenging situations. "If they
are only getting bare basics, no wonder there are problems."
Corrections minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga declined to comment on the issue.
Nov 1, 2015 New Zealand
Serco 'harangued' beaten prisoner
Serco's
operation of Mt Eden Prison in Auckland is again being called into
question. It comes after a French prisoner was assaulted and then returned
to the mainstream prison, where he was assaulted a second time. Labour's
corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis says the private prison operator then
turned the blame on the man. "What makes this particularly distasteful
is the way the Serco management went in there while the guy was still in
ICU and basically harangued him. I just find that totally
unacceptable." He said they should have left the man to recover.
"It just shows their corporate nous. It's just totally wrong, on all
levels."
Sep
10, 2015 stuff.co.nz
Documents
released to 3 News show Mt Eden Corrections Facility operator Serco is
facing more than $1m in fines.
FAIRFAX
NZ Prime Minister John Key hasn't ruled out cancelling private prison
operator Serco's contract once investigations are complete. Key said the
good thing about private operators was the Government had the "capacity
to fine them". "And they have a whole host of reasons why they
can be fined." Serco is facing more than $1 million in fines for its
failings at Mt Eden Corrections Facility. Documents released to 3 News
under the Official Information Act show Serco has been charged a range of
fines during the past 12 months for not doing its job properly and the
costs could continue to mount. Key said while the fines looked "quite
big" Serco earn "quite a lot off the contract and there is lots
of moving parts to that". Corrections stepped in to take over
management at the corrections facility after reports of "fight
clubs" and contraband at the prison. While investigations continue
into Serco's running of Mt Eden Key said "all the options are on the
table". "That includes increasing fines, them going back and
cancellation of the the contract - they're all still on the table".
Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga said public opinion was something taken
into account in who ran prisons, but the Government was contractually bound
to Serco. "We've got a contract with Serco at Mt Eden, and Wiri, and
we're bound by that." Cancelling the contract with Serco was still an
option, with Lotu-Iiga adding "all options are on the table".
Decisions could not be made until the review at the troubled Mt Eden prison
had been completed, Lotu-Iiga said. "I think it's prudent for us as a
government to wait for those reviews to be completed and make those
decisions then. "Cancellation is always on the table in terms of the
options that are available to us." Serco is paid about $31.5m a year
to run the prison. About $3m of that is made up of performance bonuses and
fines can only be deducted from that, 3 News reported. Failing to control
prisoners to ensure a safe jail cost Serco $50,000, unlawfully mixing
inmates cost $100,000, not meeting incident reporting targets and other
contractual requirements cost $150,000, according to the news agency. The
biggest fine Serco has received was more than $315,000 for failing to keep
serious assaults down. The first set of fines total $615,000, but the list
keeps going. Since the videos of fight-club style brawls involving Mt Eden
prisoners surfaced in July, Serco has received almost $500,000 more in
penalty notices. The recent fines include unlawful detention, $25,000;
failing to meet education targets, $50,000; failing to ensure prisoner
safety and welfare, $200,000; breach of contract for serious assault rates,
$50,000; and a death in custody, $150,000, 3 News reported. During the past
year Serco has been hit with $1,090,000 in fines but the prison is yet to
be fined over allegations of fight clubs and contraband. Key said he had
confidence in Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga to do the job and
establish exactly what went wrong at Mt Eden.
Aug 25, 2015 radionz.co.nz
Guard
helped inmates with fighting technique
Corrections
Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga has revealed that a prison guard helped inmates with
their fighting techniques in Mt Eden prison. Labour said the situation at
Mt Eden was getting beyond a joke and is further proof that a fully
independent inquiry is needed. At the weekend, private prison company Serco
confirmed a staff member was suspended after being caught on security
footage fighting with an inmate. Neither the company nor the Corrections
Department would comment further while the Chief Inspectorate of Prisons
was investigating the running of Mount Eden. Mr Lotu-Liga said the staff
member was not fighting with an inmate. "[The footage] shows a prison
guard on CCTV footage approaching a group of prisoners who were sparring,
he then gives them some coaching on their technique. "Sparring is a
banned activity and Serco was shown the footage on the sixth of August.
Serco have suspended the staff member while the investigation
proceeds." Labour corrections spokesperson Kelvin Davis said the
situation with Serco has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. "The
Minister's statement today that a guard was coaching sparring techniques to
inmates is completely shambolic. "An independent inquiry is the only
way forward as I have no confidence whatsoever in the findings of any
inquiry conducted by Corrections or Serco." Mr Davis said he was
continuing to get letters about allegations of abuse and mistreatment in
prisons some of which he had passed on to the police.
Mt
Eden prison officer suspended after fighting with inmate
Fighting
in prison is no new phenomenon, but filming them on mobile phones and
uploading to social media has lead to an investigation by Corrections. A
staff member at the troubled Mt Eden private prison has been suspended
after being caught on camera sparring with an inmate. The CCTV footage that
led to the officer's downfall shows the staff member being "knocked
out", a prison source said. Staff fighting with inmates is just the
latest controversy to hit the prison, operated by British company Serco.
The Department of Corrections has seized control of Mt Eden following a
string of revelations including concerns over prisoner safety and inmates
taking part in organised "fight clubs", then posting the footage
to the internet via contraband cellphones. It is understood the footage was
not a cellphone recording, but was discovered as part of the review into Mt
Eden being carried out by the Prison Inspectorate and the Ombudsman. A
Serco spokeswoman confirmed the officer had been suspended after being
caught on security camera footage fighting with a prisoner. The staff
member would be subjected to a disciplinary hearing. "The safety and
security of staff, prisoners and visitors in Mt Eden Corrections Facility
is paramount and we have zero tolerance for violence." Serco refused
to answer questions about when the footage was from and if it had informed
Corrections about the incident appropriately. Similarly, Corrections
Northern Regional Commissioner Jeanette Burns refused to say when the
department had been informed of the footage. No comment would be made until
the review was completed, she said. Labour Party justice spokesman Kelvin
Davis, who has been a vocal critic of Serco since the allegations of fight
clubs and prisoner safety surfaced, said the stories coming out of Mt Eden
were "beyond belief". He had heard several staff had turned a
blind eye to prisoner assaults and one source had told him of an incident
where a segregated inmate was being led through the mainstream prison
section by guards, but ended up being beaten anyway. "It just proves
what I've been saying, Serco has lost control of the prison and the guards
are obviously part of the whole mess and it's time for Serco to be sent
packing." A spokeswoman for Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Liga said he
was aware of a number of allegations involving Mt Eden Prison. "The
Minister has previously expressed his concern about the allegations and
awaits the outcome of the chief inspectorate's review."
Jul
27, 2015 nbr.co.nz
Multinational
firm Serco faces a financial penalty of $500,000 after widespread
allegations of prisoner mistreatment at Mt Eden Prison in Auckland, which
it runs. Corrections boss Ray Smith told Radio New Zealand this morning he
was likely to sign off $500,000 worth of penalties, with more to come. Last
week Corrections announced it would be take over the management of the Mt
Eden Prison from Serco. The announcement came shortly after Serco managing
director Paul Mahoney met Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-liga to discuss a
string of recent controversies over prison violence and organised boxing
fights. "There are also other options potentially available to me
under the contract. These include a final warning and early termination of
the contract," Mr Smith said. He added financial charges “may be
imposed” because of the events that have surfaced in the past week. “These
are likely to be substantial," he said. On Saturday, Prime Minister
John Key left open the possibility of cancelling Serco’s contract but said
the failures did not give him cause to reconsider the government’s push to
use more private providers in health, state housing, education and welfare.
Labour’s corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis has been critical of SERCO’s
management of Mt Eden Prison, as well as the government’s reaction to the
saga. He told NBR Radio last week that the private prison experiment has
been an “utter failure in New Zealand.” He says the government should have
known better, as Serco has a “dodgy reputation” overseas. “[The government]
should have read the tea leaves and never even gone there with Serco,” he
says. Last week, Mr Davis Tweeted that Serco is entitled to $1.2 million in
performance-related bonuses. “I say give it to the people who have been abused
in Serco’s care,” Mr Davis tweeted.
Jul
25, 2015 odt.co.nz
Private
prison company Serco has admitted it received reports of organised
"fight clubs" in its prisons two months ago, but will only
investigate now, after fight footage was shot and shared online. The fight
clubs were a "disgrace" and showed private companies should not
run prisons, the Public Service Association said. Serco said today it would
work with the Department of Corrections, the Ombudsman and Serco staff from
outside Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) to investigate the fight clubs.
A report is due on August 28. "I am currently at the prison,
overseeing and supporting management myself," Serco director of
operations Scott McNairn said today. "...We have tough new measures in
place to further enhance our regime. This is on top of the existing
security activity, which has included a full lockdown search of the prison.
There will be more to come." Mr McNairn said Serco had received
relevant parts of Corrections' report on allegations of organised fights in
prisons. "We noted that the allegations were not substantiated, and
confirmed that recommended steps were already in place at MECF."
Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon said earlier today he had
raised concerns about the prison 18 months ago. Two people were appointed
to investigate, but the association "never heard any results",
and only recently saw the report, he told Radio New Zealand this morning.
But Mr McNairn said Serco took its obligations to its staff, Corrections
and taxpayers seriously. "We do not underestimate the challenge of
operating this prison. We hold 976 of the country's most difficult and
challenging individuals. As an inner city remand prison, we manage tens of
thousands of prisoner movements every year. "Preventing violence,
attempts to smuggle contraband and other criminal activity inside the
prison walls is a daily reality. Our managers and staff work incredibly
hard to manage these challenges." The PSA, which said it represented
3000 Corrections staff and 100 Serco prison staff, called the prison fights
"inexcusable"."Private prisons are focussed on profit, not
on ensuring safety for staff or rehabilitation for prisoners," said
national secretary Erin Polaczuk. "Private companies like Serco are
not subject to the same public service ethos as those directly employed by
Government." Ms Polaczuk said staffing levels at Serco facilities were
too low to ensure staff safety and proper monitoring of prisoners.
"The prison fights are inexcusable and the whole situation must be
independently investigated, and the Government must commit to bringing
prisons back under public control."
Jul 24, 2015 Jul 24, 2015 sharechat.co.nz
Private prison operator Serco relieved of control at Mt Eden prison
Multi-national
private prison operator Serco has been forced to hand back control of
Auckland's Mt Eden remand prison to the Department of Corrections, which
has used a 'step-in' clause in its contract with Serco following a string
of increasingly serious allegations about contraband, prisoner injuries and
a death. Corrections Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga and Corrections Department
chief executive Ray Smith hosted a hastily arranged press conference at
Parliament this afternoon to announce the decision, which was Smith's,
cauterising what had developed over the course of the last week to be a
major political issue and included calls for Lotu-Iiga's resignation. Serco
will continue to earn fees under its 10-year contract to run Mt Eden and
remains responsible for meeting staff wages and the operational costs of
the prison, as well as becoming liable without compensation for all the
additional costs of inserting what Smith called a "crack team" of
as many as 20 state prison managers to "sort out" the problems at
Mt Eden. The allegations about Serco's management include prisoners being
'dropped' from balconies in initiation ceremonies at the prison, resulting
in injury and one alleged death, the transfer of prisoners injured at Mt
Eden to state-run prisons to get them off the remand prison's books, along
with forced participation in 'fight clubs' and the presence in the prison
of illicit drugs, home-brewed alcohol and mobile phones. "Following a
new allegation yesterday, I am pleased that Ray Smith has made the decision
that Corrections will take over the running of the prison for the immediate
future," said Lotu-Iiga. Similar takeovers of prison management had
occurred at state-run prisons that had experienced problems, the minister
said, citing the replacement of management at the Spring Hill state prison
after a riot in June 2013. The Mt Eden furore has erupted just as Serco
enters a period in which it renegotiates the terms of the second half of
its contract for Mt Eden, with the government able to terminate the
contract at any time between now and a "break date" in 2016.
Asked what the chances were of Serco still running the prison past that
break date, Lotu-Iiga said: "I don't know." The inquiry now under
way into the prison's management was important to help determine the way
forward. Under the contract terms, it could be broken immediately but the
right course of action was an inquiry, he said. Serco's contract to run the
recently opened prison at Wiri is unaffected. Wiri was developed as a
public-private partnership and houses prisoners who have been sentenced,
unlike Mt Eden, where prisoners are either awaiting trial or are being held
prior to transfer after sentencing to more permanent incarceration. Mt Eden
has a high turnover of around 4,000 prisoners a year and is acknowledged as
a "difficult" prison to manage, said Lotu-Iiga. Smith said he had
been in contact with Serco's senior executive for the Asia-Pacific region
and had spoken to the global chief executive, Rupert Soames, in London,
about the issues. It was inevitable that Serco would face penalty charges
relating to the incidents that had been uncovered so far. The second phase
of a complete search of Mt Eden was now under way. Hampshire-based Serco
runs outsourced public services around the world in numerous sectors, employing
122,000 people in 30 countries, including Australia's mainland and
Christmas Island immigration detention centres to house asylum-seekers and
illegal migrants arriving by boat and air. It reported 1.5 billion British
pounds in writedowns on the value of its contracts last November and was
forced to go to shareholders for an emergency 550 million pound
recapitalisation through a rights issue. It announced profit downgrades at
the same time.Soames announced at the time the company would narrow the
focus of its outsourced contracting to defence, transport, health, justice
and immigration services for the UK, Middle East, Australia and New
Zealand. The New Zealand unit reported an annual loss of $2.6 million,
including $1.5 million impairment charge on mobilisation and bid costs, in
calendar 2014.
Jul 23, 2015 3news.co.nz
Minister puts Serco on notice over prison UPDATED
The
operator of Mt Eden Corrections Facility, Serco, has been fined $300,000
over its private prison operation in New Zealand. Serco has been officially
put on notice by the Corrections Minister over concerns about safety and
security at the remand prison. And it's not guaranteed to have its contract
renewed either. Under questioning in the House by Green MP David Clendon
this afternoon, the minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga said in the 2014/2015
financial year, the company had been fined a $300,000 performance-related
fee. "Some of the incidents include insufficient staff levels, mixing
accused prisoners with other prisoners, minimum entitlements and incident
notification," Mr Lotu-Iiga said. Earlier today, Serco bosses Scott
McNairn and Paul Mahoney met with Mr Lotu-Iiga in his Beehive office. Mr
Lotu-Iiga said in the House nothing was brought up in the meeting which
would have required the company be fined. He denied there was a
"dysfunctional relationship" between him and the Corrections
Department given a report into fight clubs in prison was done a year ago,
but never given to him. The minister has said the meeting had previously been
scheduled, but intended to express his disappointment in how the prison is
run given allegations of inappropriate behaviour behind its walls. "I
have made my concerns clear to both Serco and the Department of
Corrections, and have laid out my expectations going forward," Mr
Lotu-Iiga says. "Serco has been left in no doubt that their
performance across the board needs to improve and that they are on
notice." While Mt Eden was a "challenging environment"
because it is a remand prison and with a transient prison population, Mr
Lotu-Iiga says it doesn't excuse Serco from providing adequate safety and
security. Mr Clendon questioned why the company had only been on notice and
facing their contract being cancelled, given revelations of fight clubs,
drinking, drug-taking and rumours of serious assaults. "Do they need
actually to burn Mt Eden prison down before the minister will act
decisively?" he said. "Unlike that party, we believe there is a
process to follow, due process. There needs to be a review, we need to get
to the bottom of the facts around some of the incidents we've seen in
recent days and they you make the appropriate decisions," Mr Lotu-Iiga
replied. The prison operator is in the period where it can renegotiate the
terms of its 10-year $300 million contract with the Crown, including
whether to extend the deal beyond 2016. When asked whether he would renew
the contract, Mr Lotu-Iiga said: "I can't guarantee that that will
happen. "We will get the findings of the review in terms of the
incidents that were reported and we will make decisions, going forward,
that will be based on their performance." Serco was tracking well in
the nine months through to March 31, meeting 31 out of 37 performance
measures, and hitting 13 of 14 key performance indicator targets that grant
it access to performance bonuses. The company says it will cooperate fully
with the chief inspectorate review into the behaviour in the prison
including fight clubs, drinking and drug-taking which begins on Monday. It
will look into contraband and incidents of violence in Serco-run prisons
and those managed by the Department of Corrections.
Jul 20, 2015 odt.co.nz/new
Jail
company 'knew about fight clubs'
Private
prison company Serco has admitted it received reports of organised
"fight clubs" in its prisons two months ago, but will only
investigate now, after fight footage was shot and shared online. The fight
clubs were a "disgrace" and showed private companies should not
run prisons, the Public Service Association said. Serco said today it would
work with the Department of Corrections, the Ombudsman and Serco staff from
outside Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) to investigate the fight clubs.
A report is due on August 28. "I am currently at the prison,
overseeing and supporting management myself," Serco director of
operations Scott McNairn said today. "...We have tough new measures in
place to further enhance our regime. This is on top of the existing
security activity, which has included a full lockdown search of the prison.
There will be more to come." Mr McNairn said Serco had received
relevant parts of Corrections' report on allegations of organised fights in
prisons. "We noted that the allegations were not substantiated, and
confirmed that recommended steps were already in place at MECF."
Corrections Association president Beven Hanlon said earlier today he had
raised concerns about the prison 18 months ago. Two people were appointed
to investigate, but the association "never heard any results",
and only recently saw the report, he told Radio New Zealand this morning.
But Mr McNairn said Serco took its obligations to its staff, Corrections
and taxpayers seriously. "We do not underestimate the challenge of
operating this prison. We hold 976 of the country's most difficult and
challenging individuals. As an inner city remand prison, we manage tens of
thousands of prisoner movements every year. "Preventing violence,
attempts to smuggle contraband and other criminal activity inside the
prison walls is a daily reality. Our managers and staff work incredibly
hard to manage these challenges." The PSA, which said it represented
3000 Corrections staff and 100 Serco prison staff, called the prison fights
"inexcusable". "Private prisons are focussed on profit, not
on ensuring safety for staff or rehabilitation for prisoners," said
national secretary Erin Polaczuk. "Private companies like Serco are
not subject to the same public service ethos as those directly employed by
Government." Ms Polaczuk said staffing levels at Serco facilities were
too low to ensure staff safety and proper monitoring of prisoners.
"The prison fights are inexcusable and the whole situation must be
independently investigated, and the Government must commit to bringing
prisons back under public control."
Jul 19, 2015 stuff.co.nz/national/politics
New Zealand: Serco fight club investigation widens
Fighting
in prison is no new phenomenon, but filming them on mobile phones and
uploading to social media has lead to an investigation by Corrections. The
government-ordered review into leaked 'fight club' footage at an Auckland
prison will investigate whether staff knew about or helped run the
organised fighting ring. The Chief Inspector of Corrections will also be
investigating whether similar violence was happening at other prisons.
Details of the investigation have come after Corrections confirmed it was
examining its "contractual options" with Serco, the company which
manages Mt Eden prison where the fights were recorded. The investigation
would also cover violence allegations and the use of cell phones in other
prisons. The investigation would also cover violence allegations and the
use of cell phones in other prisons. Video footage of prisoners fighting
each other in cells and exercise yards was posted online, and has drawn
condemnation from both the Government and opposition. On Sunday Corrections
Minister Sam Lotu-Iiga announced the terms of reference for an
investigation, widening the scope to include allegations related to
violence and the use of cell phones in other prisons. "This behaviour
of prisoners is unacceptable and I have asked Corrections to carry out a
robust and thorough review of the incidents," he said. Serco was also
conducting its own investigation, and the police could undertake their own
investigation. Phase one of Corrections chief inspector Andy Fitzharris'
investigation would look at the circumstances surrounding the incidents
posted to social media and whether there were organised prisoner fights at
Mt Eden Prison. "The investigation will pay particular attention to
the last three months to determine whether this type of activity is
widespread across the site or limited to specific units, whether management
or staff knew of it, what they did about it and what measures have been
taken to restrict contraband," Lotu-Iiga said. It would also look at
"whether staff and management had knowledge of the existence of a
'fight club' operating, and any involvement by staff in its operation"
and the "levels of supervision and security operating that would allow
this activity to occur without staff intervention. "I also expect
recommendations to come out of it to strengthen controls, standards and
operating procedures if warranted," Lotu-Iiga said. The second phase
would review the adequacy of controls designed to address prisoner violence
and access to cell phones in other New Zealand prisons. "To ensure an
independent view of this process the Office of the Ombudsman has been
invited to monitor and review the investigation. Full cooperation will be
afforded to the Ombudsman's investigator, who may also independently report
on any matter concerning the incidents or its subsequent investigation.
"I have already put Serco on notice over the incidents at [Mount
Eden]. I will be meeting with Serco senior management this week and I am
expecting a positive and strong response from the company in resolving
these issues."
Jul
17, 2015 3news.co.nz
Prison fights sometimes 'simply entertainment'
Private
prison operator SERCO is coming under increasing pressure following claims
guards in Mt Eden Prison are encouraging organised fight clubs. It has now
been revealed both the Corrections Department and SERCO knew about the
clubs 18 months ago. The fights happen in one-minute rounds. Sometimes it
is gang prospects trying to get patched, other times it is a way to earn a
reputation. 3 News met one former inmate who says guards turn a blind eye
to fights, which on the inside are called "contender battles".
"Some of it is one gang versus another, other times it's internal
gangs sorting out differences… or just simply entertainment," he says.
SERCO has been plagued by allegations that its attempts at cost cutting
could put lives at risk. The prison is struggling to find and keep staff,
and topped a list for the number of prisoner assaults in the three years to
2014. Several inmates have told 3 News the guards not only allow the
fights, but actively encourage them by putting rival gangs in the same
block and sometimes placing bets. In a statement, SERCO says it is working
with Corrections in its investigation, but goes on to say that for many
prisoners violence is the norm. Corrections denies guards are involved, but
admits it knew about the fight clubs 18 months ago. It says back then it
could not find enough evidence to warrant a full scale investigation.
Community advocate Richie Hardcore says this should be a wakeup call for
lawmakers. "Eighty percent of people in prison were under the
influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their offending,"
he says. "You have to look at the environment and the context."
SERCO's contract is up for renewal in 2017, but Corrections is hinting that
it is reviewing its contractual obligations.
May
18, 2015 adionz.co.nz
The
Corrections Minister is rejecting criticisms of the New Zealand prison
system made in a United Nations report. In a report on how New Zealand is
implementing UN initiatives against inhuman treatment, the Committee
Against Torture has identified 13 areas of concern. They include domestic
violence, the Independent Police Conduct Authority, over-representation of
Maori in prisons, use of tasers and people-trafficking. The UN paper
claimed prisons were overcrowded, had inadequate health services, and too
much power to strip-search inmates. The Minister, Sam Lotu-Iiga, said New
Zealand had one of the best corrections systems in the world. "I don't
know whether I agree with the assertions that they make based on the
evidence that I've seen. "I accept their right to make the points, but
I don't accept that they are major problems in our prison system." Mr
Lotu-Iiga said he would consider the recommendations, but he was
comfortable with the state of New Zealand prisons. Concerns about private
prisons: A United Nations committee said the Government needed to keep a
closer eye on privately run prisons, which it said were more violent than
comparable public prisons. On private prisons, the report says the rate of
violence between prisoners and assaults on guards at the Serco-managed Mt
Eden prison is higher than in public prisons. The committee says the
Government needs to ensure private prisons are upholding the same standards
as those in the public system. This is the sixth such report on New
Zealand's implementation of the Convention against Torture, Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Almost every report has drawn
attention to the over-representation of Maori and across every aspect of
the justice system. While Maori make up about 15 percent of the general
population they account for about half of the prison population - and that
jumps to 60 percent for women.
Jan
14, 2014 stuff.co.nz
Private
prison operator Serco has apologised to Kim Dotcom for his treatment at Mt
Eden after his arrest two years ago. The firm, which has a well- documented
history of blunders in its British, Australian and New Zealand operations,
has also apologised to Fairfax NZ for providing incorrect information when
questioned about the German internet mogul's time in custody. Dotcom was
arrested on copyright charges after a high-profile raid on his mansion at
Coatesville, north of Auckland, in January 2012, which was requested by the
FBI and carried out by the New Zealand police special tactics group. The
raid has since been deemed illegal by the High Court. He complained at the
time about not receiving the toiletry pack supposed to be given to all
prisoners when they arrive in custody. The "new-arrival packs" contain
bedding, a towel, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and a toothbrush.
Dotcom said he received none of those items, and was unable to wash himself
after going to the toilet. In November he threatened to sue Serco over his
treatment. When Fairfax then contacted Serco, it initially dismissed his
allegations about the arrival pack. It said it had no record that any
complaint was made by Dotcom or his lawyers over his treatment at Mt Eden.
However, communications manager Jane Palmer has now said that statement was
incorrect. Serco had since retrieved an "archived record" which
showed a complaint was raised, she said. "We apologise for the error.
We have also written to the individual [Kim Dotcom] to apologise to
him." Dotcom said the apology, which he received yesterday, was the
first he had received from Serco, but it did not go far enough. "They
only apologise for the arrival treatment. Not for all the worst experiences
that came after that. "I was fearing for my health and my life because
they did not look after my well-documented health issues to a point that I
was unable to see my lawyers because I was paralysed from back pain.
"A flashlight was flashed in my face at least every two hours,
sometimes more frequently while I was sleeping. "In my one month in remand
I was constantly tired and did not have a single night of uninterrupted
sleep. "They should apologise for those much more serious
injustices." He said he also suspected prison authorities may have
knowingly allowed a phone call to be placed to him while he was on remand
that was designed to entrap him. Serco has run the Mt Eden Corrections
Facility on behalf of the Corrections Department since the prison opened in
2011. Ad Feedback: Labour corrections spokeswoman Jacinda Ardern said it
should lose its contract to run Mt Eden. "Because this is a privately
operated prison, we rely on accurate record-keeping of what is happening in
the prison. "We have always been very concerned Serco is incentivised
not to keep accurate records because of the arrangement they have with the
Corrections Department. "I do think it is concerning we have now seen
an example of them keeping inaccurate records and, on top of that, not
doing what they are required to do under their contract." Dotcom is
awaiting a hearing on his possible extradition to the United States, set
for April. Next Monday, which will be the second anniversary of the raid on
his mansion, he intends to launch a political party, to be called the Party
Party, at Shed 10 in Auckland. The launch will coincide with the release of
his album, Good Times, the recording of which was interrupted by the raid
on his mansion. It is billed as "an optimistic LP full of pop-dance
music perfect to party to".
Nov
27, 2013 stuff.co.nz
Internet
entrepreneur Kim Dotcom says he will sue private-prison operator Serco over
what he describes as his "inhumane treatment" at Mt Eden Prison.
Serco said it had no record of his complaints on file, even though Dotcom
said he filled in more than a dozen forms while on remand, complaining about
his treatment at the prison. He also had his lawyers write to Serco on his
behalf. Dotcom alleged in a book published on Monday that he had been
denied food, blankets, a towel, soap and toilet paper during his first
evening in the Serco-managed Mt Eden Prison, following his arrest on
US-based copyright charges last year. That meant he had nothing to clean
himself with after going to the toilet. He and his co-accused were told the
basic hygiene needs could wait until the next day, he said. Dotcom also accused
Serco of neglecting his health care and said he believed prison authorities
had been complicit in an attempt to entrap him. A guard allowed a
fraudulent call, which was supposedly from his lawyer, to be placed to him
outside normal business hours by a person who then claimed to be a
prosecutor working on his case and who requested a bribe, he said. "At
some point in the future I am definitely going to take [Serco] to
court," he said. A Serco spokeswoman told Fairfax in a written
statement this week that none of the allegations had been raised with the
company previously, and it had received no complaints corresponding to the
allegations. Dotcom said that was "plainly false". "I wrote
while I was in Mt Eden a dozen reports and complaints and made everything
that was wrong there official," he said. "They have these forms
you have to fill out. While I was there I filled out more than a dozen
forms. "My lawyers wrote several letters to Serco while I was in
prison pointing those things out." His lawyer, Paul Davidson QC, had
written to Serco asking it to find out the source of the fraudulent call,
he said. Serco's spokeswoman said she had made inquiries of people at Mt
Eden Prison before issuing her statement to Fairfax Media on Tuesday.
"We pulled out Mr Dotcom's file, we reviewed his allegations versus
what was in that file, and there were no comments of that nature in his
file," she said. The Corrections Department has described Dotcom's
allegations about his treatment at Mt Eden as an "operational
matter" best addressed by Serco. Labour's corrections spokeswoman
Jacinda Ardern said that was "not good enough" and the department
should be accountable. She said the allegation regarding the fraudulent
phone call in particular was "quite significant".
Nov
27, 2013 stuff.co.nz
Internet
entrepreneur Kim Dotcom says he will sue private-prison operator Serco over
what he describes as his "inhumane treatment" at Mt Eden Prison.
Serco said it had no record of his complaints on file, even though Dotcom
said he filled in more than a dozen forms while on remand, complaining
about his treatment at the prison. He also had his lawyers write to Serco
on his behalf. Dotcom alleged in a book published on Monday that he had
been denied food, blankets, a towel, soap and toilet paper during his first
evening in the Serco-managed Mt Eden Prison, following his arrest on
US-based copyright charges last year. That meant he had nothing to clean
himself with after going to the toilet. He and his co-accused were told the
basic hygiene needs could wait until the next day, he said. Dotcom also
accused Serco of neglecting his health care and said he believed prison
authorities had been complicit in an attempt to entrap him. A guard allowed
a fraudulent call, which was supposedly from his lawyer, to be placed to
him outside normal business hours by a person who then claimed to be a
prosecutor working on his case and who requested a bribe, he said. "At
some point in the future I am definitely going to take [Serco] to
court," he said. A Serco spokeswoman told Fairfax in a written
statement this week that none of the allegations had been raised with the
company previously, and it had received no complaints corresponding to the
allegations. Dotcom said that was "plainly false". "I wrote
while I was in Mt Eden a dozen reports and complaints and made everything
that was wrong there official," he said. "They have these forms
you have to fill out. While I was there I filled out more than a dozen
forms. "My lawyers wrote several letters to Serco while I was in
prison pointing those things out." His lawyer, Paul Davidson QC, had
written to Serco asking it to find out the source of the fraudulent call,
he said. Serco's spokeswoman said she had made inquiries of people at Mt
Eden Prison before issuing her statement to Fairfax Media on Tuesday.
"We pulled out Mr Dotcom's file, we reviewed his allegations versus
what was in that file, and there were no comments of that nature in his
file," she said. The Corrections Department has described Dotcom's
allegations about his treatment at Mt Eden as an "operational
matter" best addressed by Serco. Labour's corrections spokeswoman
Jacinda Ardern said that was "not good enough" and the department
should be accountable. She said the allegation regarding the fraudulent phone
call in particular was "quite significant".
Oct
25, 2013 radionz.co.nz
The
chief executive of British prison operator Serco has quit as part of a
major reorganisation following a series of scandals. Serco has more than
120,000 staff in more than 30 countries, including New Zealand where it
runs the private Mount Eden remand prison. Chris Hyman has resigned from
Serco. AFP It will also run a new $840 million jail in Wiri, south of
Auckland, when it opens in 2015. The British Government, which accounts for
about 25% of Serco's revenue, announced three months ago it would not award
the company any new contracts pending a review of existing ones. An audit
found Serco and a rival company had both charged for tagging criminals who
were dead, in prison or not being monitored. Serco says British chief
executive Chris Hyman has resigned and has been replaced by the group's
chief operating officer, Reuters reports. As part of a company-wide
overhaul, Serco says it will strengthen its board by adding three new non-executive
directors. In New Zealand, Serco has twice been fined $150,000 for letting
inmates escape. The company was ordered to make operational changes as a
result.
4 Jun 5, 2013 nzherald.co.nz
Prisoners in privately run Mt Eden Corrections
Facility were able to access the internet through faulty computer kiosks a
security review of public sector computer systems has found. The security
breach was one of 12 "weak points" identified in Government Chief
Information Officer Colin McDonald's review of the security of 215 publicly
accessible state sector agency IT systems released this morning. Serco, the
company which operates Mt Eden said that on November 26 last year, "an
administrative error made it possible to open a web browser session"
on kiosks provided to prisoners to allow them to "take responsibility
for organising their day-to-day lives and helps to develop literacy and
numeracy skills". Serco's Director of Operations Scott McNairn said
the error "allowed for limited access to the internet, policed by a
web filter which blocked access to inappropriate sites". "No
email, social media or adult sites were accessed." The internet access
was "limited" and "at no time was it possible to access any
other systems or information". Serco has not said how long prisoners
were able to access the internet for. Mr McNairn said the company had
improved security for the kiosks and was "confident" that the
likelihood of further problems was "extremely low". The other
issues identified in Mr McDonald's review were at: Careers NZ, Ministry for
Culture and Heritage, Ministry of Education, EQC, Commission for Financial
Literacy and Retirement Income, Ministry of Justice, Maritime NZ,
MidCentral DHB, Trade and Enterprise, Ministry of Social Development,
Tertiary Education Commission. "Action has been taken and the systems
are now secure", Mr McDonald said. "There is no evidence any of
these weak points lead to a breach of privacy or information
security." Mr McDonald's review was initiated in October last year in
response to revelations that private data could be obtained via the
Ministry of Social Development's public computer kiosks. State Services
Commissioner Iain Rennie this morning confirmed the report was completed
late last year but departments had been working on their response since
then. The issue of public trust in Government agencies' ability to handle
private information appropriately was an increasingly important one, Mr
Rennie said. The public was now much more aware of the issue and much less
tolerant of misuse of their information. "We need to raise our game
considerably around how we handle people's information." Mr McDonald
said there "will always be a level of risk in this area that must be
managed" but the review's key finding was that the management of privacy
and information security "is not always meeting best practice and
needs to improve". There was currently too much reliance on work done
by IT staff and contractors and not sufficient oversight by senior managers
or independent assurance that security standards were being met. Mr Rennie
said "a plan of action" was no underway to address issues
identified by the review. That include the immediate action taken to
strengthen security begun when the review was completed in December.
Agencies also had to show by April this year that they had conducted a
"detailed risk assessment of their publicly accessible systems".
Agencies will also have to provide security assessments to Mr McDonald by
the end of next month and again by the end of March next year, "along
with reports about the steps they have taken address privacy and security
issues". "This is an issue about moving the whole system up in
terms of the level of performance", Mr Rennie said. State Services
Minister Jonathan Coleman said New Zealanders expected government agencies
"will be doing everything they can to ensure the integrity of public
sector ICT systems". "We expect every public service department
and agency to comply fully with the agreed plan of action."
August 17, 2012 Radio New Zealand
New Zealand's only private prison operator, Serco, has been hit with
another $150,000 fine for letting a second inmate escape. Graham Hay, an
inmate at Auckland's Mt Eden Prison, spent 30 minutes on the run after
undergoing an eye procedure at the Greenlane Clinical Centre in early June.
An official report has found a non-standard pair of handcuffs was used to
lock Hay to one of two guards escorting him to the appointment. The
larger-than-usual cuffs slipped off Hay's wrist, allowing him to escape
before he was caught by a police dog. The report says the incorrect
handcuffs were used because prison officers had not properly checked the
equipment beforehand. None of Serco's staff have been sacked as a result,
although managing director Paul Mahoney says it has issued written warnings
to some staff. The company has been ordered to make operational changes.
Last year, Serco was fined $150,000 following the escape of inmate Aaron
Forden. The Corrections Department is in charge of overseeing Serco's $300
million contract with the New Zealand Government. Deputy chief executive
Christine Stevenson says Hay's escape was avoidable and the fine is
warranted.
July 5, 2012 Stuff
Private prison operator Serco has failed to meet half of its performance
targets since taking over Auckland's Mt Eden Prison. A report card on
Serco's performance released today reveals three inmates were wrongly
released, one escaped and there were three wrongful detentions. The
percentage of sentenced prisoners with an appropriate plan in place within
required timeframes was only 28 per cent - two thirds lower than the 90 per
cent target. Of 37 targets Serco was to meet in the nine months to April
half weren't met. Corrections said Serco had accepted responsibility for
one wrongful release. To date the final decision on whether they'd be fined
on a second wrongful release had not been made, and discussions between
both parties about whether they'd followed correct operational processes
were ongoing. Corrections are to issue a performance notice for a third
wrongful release that occurred in March. During its first quarter running
the prison Serco was fined $150,000 after prisoner Aaron Forden escaped in
February. Forden, dubbed "Houdini" escaped along with another
inmate who was caught almost immediately. The firm was also fined $25,000
for releasing one inmate early and $50,000 for failing to file progress
reports. Escapes and wrongful releases are listed as zero targets.
June 6, 2012 Auckland Now
Private prison operator Serco could be slapped with its second $150,000
fine this year after a prisoner escaped after getting his eyes checked on
Sunday. A Mt Eden prisoner spent 30 minutes on the run after escaping while
being escorted from the Greenlane Clinical Centre. The police dog unit and
prison duty staff found him hiding in a garden shed at a property in Claude
Rd, about 600 metres from the clinic. Auckland District Health Board
spokesman Mark Fenwick said the prisoner escaped while being escorted back
to the vehicle after receiving his treatment. The man is back in prison and
faces charges of escaping custody. Serco, who are contracted by Corrections
to manage the prison, would not comment on how the prisoner escaped. An
internal inquiry is underway. Under Serco's contract with Corrections they
can be fined $150,000 every time a prisoner escapes. They were fined in
February after serial escaper Aaron Forden fled the prison after breaking
into a service way in October, 2011.
April 27, 2012 New Zealand Herald
Private prison operators Serco have failed to meet several key performance
measures since taking over running the Mt Eden Corrections Facility, a
Corrections Department report shows. The report, released under the
Official Information Act, shows two wrongful releases and one wrongful
imprisonment in the eight months since the Mt Eden facility was handed to
the British-based company. It was fined $150,000 when Aaron Stephen Forden,
a prisoner dubbed "Houdini", escaped earlier this year. All of
the incidents are listed as zero tolerance areas under Corrections
Departments standards. Corrections chief executive Ray Smith told Radio New
Zealand Serco's failure to meet several performance measures was "less
than we expect". "We have been actively working with Serco to
ensure that improvements are achieved." Other results showed an 82 per
cent completion rate on random drug tests at the facility - 17 per cent
short of the standard required. Targets for prisoner management plans and
telephone call monitoring were not reached. However, random drug testing
showed only a three per cent return of positive samples. The Public Service
Association said the results showed the failure of privatising prisons.
National Secretary Richard Wagstaff said Serco had jeopardised public
safety by allowing wrongful releases and escapes. "The department may
be trying to write these off as 'teething problems' but they are no such
thing - these are core procedures that should be right from the start.
"This report shows Serco is failing in its number one priority - to
keep the public safe." Mr Wagstaff said the report showed the
"folly" of opening another private prison at Wiri.
April 27, 2012 Scoop
National’s prison privatisation plan needs serious rethinking after failing
to meet basic performance requirements at Mt Eden prison, Labour says.
Labour’s Justice Sector Spokesperson Charles Chauvel says that the
Government’s plans to privatise up to a quarter of New Zealand’s prison
capacity will worsen the already dangerous failure to meet requirements.
“Figures out today reveal worrying trends in Serco’s management of the Mt
Eden Corrections Facility over the last eight months “Of particular concern
are failures to meet drug testing and offender management plan targets,
wrongful releases, and an escape from custody. “Coincidentally I visited Mt
Eden yesterday, as well as the state-run Paremoremo and Auckland Women’s
prisons. “While there is much positive work being done by the staff at each
of them, one of the obvious realities is that a level playing field does
not operate between the public and private sectors. Many of the state-run
institutions have to cope with legacy facilities and procedures, which
Serco is unburdened by. “In light of that – and especially since, under
National Serco’s slice of the corrections pie will double once the new Wiri
Prison is built next year, and up to a quarter of all inmates in the system
will be under their control – the public has a right to expect Serco’s
performance targets to be met.
February 21, 2012 Northern Advocate
Private prison operator Serco has been fined $150,000 after a prison dubbed
"Houdini" escaped from the new Mt Eden Corrections facility.
Aaron Stephen Forden, originally from Whangarei, broke into a service way
and fled the prison complex last October, having famously escaped from the
old Mt Eden Prison in 2008. Forden was recaptured a week later and is being
dealt with by the courts. The Department of Corrections said in a statement
that improvements had been made to the security of the facility since the
escape following a joint review into the escape.
October 19, 2011 3 News
Two staff at Mt Eden Prison have been suspended after notorious escapee
Aaron Forden broke out of the jail on October 10. Forden, dubbed
"Houdini" for his serial escapes from custody, was recaptured in
Auckland on Monday after a week on the run. Forden was the first inmate to
break out of the new Mt Eden Corrections Facility, working with another
prisoner to flee through a service way. The second inmate was recaptured
but Forden got away, in a suspected waiting vehicle. The privately-managed
prison is run by British-based company Serco, which could face a hefty fine
over the escape. Serco Asia Pacific spokesman Paul Shaw confirmed to NZ
Newswire that two prison staff had been suspended "pending the outcome
of investigations". He said he was unable to comment further on the
suspensions while the investigations were ongoing.
October 18, 2011 Stuff
''Houdini'' jail-breaker Aaron Forden spent seven days ''laying low'' with
the help of associates, after escaping from Auckland's Mt Eden prison last
week, police say. The 30-year-old was arrested just before 7pm last night
at a residential address in Silverdale. Police also arrested a 24-year-old
female living at the property and charged her with being an accessory after
the fact. Auckland Police Detective Sergeant Iain Chapman says the
week-long hunt for Forden included visits to various members of his family
and friends. Known for dying his hair and changing his looks while on the
run, Forden's appearance was unchanged this time.
October 12, 2011 Northern Advocate
A man with the ability to change his appearance like a chameleon to evade
capture could be headed for familiar territory - Northland. Police are
warning members of the public they should not approach 30-year-old Aaron Forden,
who is considered unpredictable and dangerous, after he escaped from the
new
on Monday. The notorious escape
artist is the first person to escape from the new $218 million private
prison. Whangarei Detective Steve Chamberlain said Forden had family and
criminal links in Northland and that anyone who spotted him in the region
should contact police immediately.
October 10, 2011 3 News
Private prison operator SERCO faces a $150,000 fine after the man nicknamed
“Houdini” escaped from its custody. Aaron Forden scaled the perimeter fence
of Mt Eden Corrections Facility early this morning. He was pursued by a
police dog, but got away in a waiting car. Forden used knotted bed sheets
to escape from Mt Eden Prison in 2008. “I would consider him to be unpredictable
and therefore dangerous and that members of the public should not approach
him,” says Detective Sergeant Iain Chapman. “But it’s only with assistance
from the public and his associates that we will catch him.” Forden is known
to change his appearance to avoid capture.
August 10, 2011 Stuff
Auckland's Mt Eden prison operator Serco has been accused of bribing
inmates with bigger helpings of food and televisions in their cells to encourage
them to behave. The prison officers' union, the Corrections Association,
said that in addition to larger meals, Serco served dessert every night,
unheard of in the State prison system, Radio New Zealand reported.
Association president Beven Hanlon said the "luxuries" allowed
the private prison operator to get by with a skeleton crew but guards were
feeling vulnerable and leaving on a daily basis. Serco said in a statement
the televisions must be paid for by the inmates and the quantities of food
served and the number of officers employed were both appropriate.
June 1, 2011 Radio NZ
New Zealand's only private prison will begin housing inmates from Wednesday
but concern has already been expressed about staffing levels. British
company Serco is running the new Mount Eden jail for at least the next six
years. The company's contract with the Government doesn't stipulate minimum
staffing and the main prison guards union is worried the staff-to-inmate
ratio won't be right. Corrections Association president Bevan Hanlon says
the approximately 960 inmates were handled by 427 prison guards under
public management but that number has dropped to 200 under private
management. Serco rejects the figures, though is refusing to say exactly
how many staff it has for reasons of security and commercial sensitivity.
New South Wales
March 27, 2009 The Australian
THE research director of a British-based group that is expected to bid for
contracts to operate two jails in NSW has backed privatised facilities in
which inmates have keys to their cells and are on a first-name basis with
their jailers. Gary Sturgess, research director of the Serco Group, will
tell a NSW parliamentary inquiry today that decency, not efficiency, is the
main reason to privatise jails. He says overseas experience shows that
prisoners enjoy more privileges -- including being given the keys to their
own cells -- in correctional systems where private and public providers
compete. Prisoners in these systems spend more time out of their cells and
have far greater interaction with their jailers -- with whom they are
frequently on first-name terms -- than in systems where public providers
face no competition, Mr Sturgess says. The results are safer jails and
lower rates of reoffending. Serco is expected to bid for the contracts to
operate Cessnock prison, in the Hunter Valley, and Parklea prison, in
western Sydney, when the jails are privatised this year. The company
already operates one jail in Victoria and one in Western Australia. The
decision by NSW Premier Nathan Rees to privatise the two prisons has
aroused heated opposition from public sector unions and the Greens, and is
opposed by a minority of MPs in the Labor caucus. The privatisation of the
jails is being driven by Prisons Minister John Robertson, who led the
campaign against power privatisation as a union leader. Mr Sturgess's
submission to the upper house inquiry links private jail services in
Britain to the "decency agenda" pursued by former British prime
minister Tony Blair. "Contract prisons in the UK are more humane,
partly because government demanded a higher standard when writing the
original contracts, partly because price was not allowed to dominate the
procurement process, and partly because the political and policy
environment at the time when the market was first established was focused
on the quality of prison life," the submission from Serco argues. As
NSW cabinet chief under former Liberal premier Nick Greiner between 1988
and 1992, Mr Sturgess drove a reform agenda that included the corporatisation
of government enterprises such as the railways and electricity
transmission. He told The Australian yesterday the British experience
showed governments could use competition in prison services as a way to set
higher standards, not just to get better value for money. "It gives a
government an opportunity to say, 'What kind of prisons do we want
here?'," Mr Sturgess said. He said the inmates in low- and
medium-security prisons in Britain had been allowed to hold duplicate keys
to their own cells, which improved both efficiency and decency. "If
(the warder) is the only one with a key, then every time a prisoner wants
to go in and out of their cell you've got to send somebody to look at
it," he said. "This way, the inmate has the dignity of having private
space and a greater sense of security." The higher proportion of women
officers in private jails had changed the atmosphere. "The difference
is that if you've got a prison full of males, with all the testosterone
pumping around, people will attempt to man up," he said. "You're
not going to get any credit for assaulting a woman." While such
arguments will confound critics of prison privatisation on the Left, Mr
Sturgess, as a stalwart of NSW politics, knows another obstacle will be the
tough-on-crime stand of the major parties. "The objective has got to
be to reduce the cycle of reoffending," Mr Sturgess said. "If the
consequence of failing to address quality issues is that we do not break
the cycle of reoffending, we're actually increasing the crime problem."
Northern
Immigration Detention Facility,
Darwin, Australia
May
12, 2013 au.news.yahoo.com
The
Immigration Department says 18 Vietnamese asylum seekers who escaped from a
Darwin detention centre overnight have been recaptured. The department says the men, who are all
rated as a low security risk, escaped from the Northern Immigration
Detention Centre in Berrimah. The department says the men came from three
separate boats, intercepted between Feburary and April. It has sought an
"urgent explanation from its service provider Serco about how this
incident has occurred". The department says it is commissioning an
independent review into the escapes. "We want to know how this occurred,
and importantly what steps need to be taken to avoid a repeat," a
spokesman said. The men are not considered dangerous. The Department has
praised Northern Territory police for the efforts in apprehending the men,
and returning them to the detention centre. Father John Kelliher, of the St
Mary's Star of the Sea Cathedral, says two of the men were found on the
steps of the church earlier this morning. He said they asked for assistance
and wanted to make a phone call or get a phone card to ring family in
Sydney. "As the police arrived, the two fellas tried to scale the
fence and ran off," he said. "One ran up Smith Street. I think he
was eventually apprehended by the police. "But the other gentleman had
actually backtracked and gone and hid in the church and the police came and
asked him to leave and they took him from the church."
Jan. 10, 2013
Cootamundra Herald
Conditions are appalling and fuelling rising client tensions.' A TOP
immigration official repeatedly warned of ''filthy'' and ''squalid'' living
conditions for asylum seekers months before a riot engulfed a Darwin
detention centre, new documents reveal. A damning internal assessment of
the Northern Immigration Detention Centre (NIDC) warns of a string of
maintenance problems and substandard care at the facility housing almost
500 asylum seekers. ''Conditions are appalling and fuelling rising client
tensions,'' the report notes, with boredom seen as a significant problem.
The confidential report by the Immigration Department's regional manager for
detention operations in the Northern Territory and Queensland, Julie Furby,
paints a disturbing picture of conditions inside one of Australia's largest
detention centres. ''A substandard activity program which in no way keeps
clients engaged/interested/busy. It does not keep their minds off the
negatives or length of stay/miserable day-to-day conditions, and certainly
does not tire them out enough to sleep well at night,'' she wrote. The
report, obtained under freedom-of-information laws, provides what she
describes as a ''frank update on detention operations in the NT''. It was
written in August 2010, a week before riots erupted at the Darwin detention
centre, resulting in a fire that caused thousands of dollars in damage and
injured a guard. Other documents claim haphazard efforts to give asylum
seekers games to play - including a beach volleyball court ''too hot to
play except at night now we are in the build-up to the monsoons''. ''It is
clear that this centre was only ever built for fishers who stay for a few
weeks and then move on,'' Ms Furby wrote in an earlier message. The
problems inside Australia's detention network remain, with Christmas Island
criticised last month as chronically overcrowded by human rights
commissioner Gillian Triggs. Ms Furby's full report, contained in an email
to the department's Canberra headquarters, remains heavily censored and was
released only in part almost 10 months after an application by the Darwin
Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network. But the publicly disclosed
portions illustrate tensions between the department and contracted company
Serco. Listing the reasons for growing tension, Ms Furby warns: ■''Filthy
environment at the NIDC - squalid living conditions - despite this being
raised with local Serco management repeatedly over the past months.'' ■''Lack
of ongoing repairs and maintenance - Serco have simply not been managing.''
■''Despite repeat requests … Serco have failed to implement an
internet booking system for clients to ensure equity of access, saying they
don't have the staff to monitor/enforce it - despite this being the cause
of many of the incidents and fights in the compounds.'' ■''In
summary, Serco is not managing to keep up standards in either [of] the
detention centres … since the spill of clients from CI [Christmas Island].
Despite our best efforts to get these addressed over past months and weeks
redacted.'' A spokesman for the department said significant improvements
had been made at the centre since 2010, including a library, soccer pitch and
outdoor barbecues. Toilets had also been replaced, with 332 people now
detained at the centre.
November 18, 2011 AAP
SECURITY company Serco has been asked to explain why a refugee was locked
in isolation after he suffered an electric shock while scaling a fence at a
Darwin detention centre. The Joint Select Committee on Australia's
Immigration Detention Network is conducting an extensive inquiry into the
effect of detention on detainees, in the wake of a series of detention
centre riots. Serco, which has a contract with the federal government to
run the centres, was questioned today over a refugee being locked in a room
by guards for more than an hour, after he suffered an electric shock while
climbing a fence at Darwin's Northern Immigration Detention Centre on
November 15. The man, who was declared a refugee a year ago and was
awaiting security clearance, was reportedly attempting to see friends in
another compound, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told the inquiry in
Melbourne. Ms Hanson-Young said he was only taken to hospital after he
collapsed, then was again locked up in isolation after he returned.
"In this scenario, which is a real scenario, who made the decision
that this man was to be locked up on his own?" Senator Hanson-Young
asked Serco managing director Chris Manning. Mr Manning told her he would
look into the incident and report back to the committee on his findings.
Senator Hanson-Young also asked him about concerns raised in a recent
report by health and safety authority Comcare over underqualified staff
working at immigration detention centres. "You don't have a client to
staff ratio," she said of the contract the security firm has with the
government. Mr Manning told her staffing levels were reviewed regularly.
"They are based on a number of factors ... if there are safety issues
then we would take a view on whether more staff were required," he
said.
August 31, 2011 The
Age
Asylum seekers are not to blame for two fires at Darwin's immigration
detention centre, the immigration department says. A spokesman said most of
those involved in today's fires were Indonesian boat crew also being held
at the Northern Immigration Detention Centre. Refugee Action Coalition
spokesman Ian Rintoul said the Indonesians were protesting against the
refusal to let them celebrate the end of Ramadan. "There were issues
about how they were going to celebrate Eid with the end of Ramadan and that
was apparently rejected by Serco (the centre's manager) or Immigration and
that's been the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.
"There's a lot of tensions with the Indonesians anyway because they're
waiting months and sometimes a year and longer before they're actually
charged." He said the fires were not started by asylum seekers.
July 26, 2011 Herald
Sun
ABOUT 20 asylum seekers are staging a peaceful protest and hunger strike on
the roof of a detention centre in Darwin, immigration officials have
confirmed. About 10 men climbed on to the roof of the Northern Immigration
Detention Centre on the Stuart Highway on Sunday but the number increased
to 21 by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Department of
Immigration told AAP. That number had dropped to 20 by 5.30pm (CST) and the
situation was described as "fluid in nature". He said Serco, the
security company that manages the centre, had engaged detainees
individually and as a group since the weekend, negotiating with them to
come down. He confirmed the detainees were "engaged in voluntary
starvation" and said Serco would continue to monitor the situation and
the welfare of the detainees. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee
Action Coalition, claimed managers at the centre on Sunday threatened to
forcibly remove the rooftop protesters and take them to jail, before more
people joined the protest. Mr Rintoul told AAP a further 60 Afghan asylum
seekers were participating in a hunger strike inside the centre, but the
immigration spokesman said the number of asylum seekers inside engaged in voluntary
starvation was closer to 15 or 20.
July 19, 2011 AAP
A ROOF-TOP protest at the Northern Immigration Detention Centre in Darwin
has gone into its fifth day, with asylum seekers refusing to come down. A
Department of Immigration spokesman said three men climbed onto the roof of
the centre late Friday. He said five men were on the roof yesterday
morning. This morning, the spokesman confirmed, a small group of men of
Iranian and Iraqi origin were still on the roof at 9am (CST). "The
situation is fluid," he said.
July 17, 2011 ABC
A group of asylum seekers have spent days on the roof of Darwin's
immigration detention centre protesting over the length of times their
claims are taking to process. Three Iranian asylum seekers have been on the
roof of the Northern Immigration Detention Centre since Friday night. Their
fellow detainees say the protestors have been in detention for up to 17
months waiting for their asylum applications to be assessed. They are
holding a sign written on a sheet appealing for their release, saying that
"keeping them in a cage" for so long is more cruel than the way
cattle are treated in the live export trade to Indonesia. The Immigration
Department says the centre manager, Serco, is talking with the protesters
to try to get them to come down.
February 4, 2011 The
Age
INTERPRETERS for asylum seekers on Christmas Island have been working
without accreditation or translating experience. A Melbourne interpreter
said unqualified staff were ill-equipped to deal with asylum seekers'
issues dispassionately. ''Some of the interpreters are not competent
because they are not actually interpreters,'' the source, who had worked on
Christmas Island, said. ''It's not up to Immigration. They are desperate.
The number of clients has gone up and demand is shocking.'' For certain
dialects, the interpreter said, it was impossible to meet demand from the
pool of trained professionals within Australia. The comments follow a
report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Allan Asher, which found asylum
seekers had been assigned interpreters who did not speak their language and
were recording incorrect information on their asylum claims. Amnesty
International Australia said the problems were common to detention centres
in Darwin and at Curtin in Western Australia.
October 20, 2010 International
Business Times
Federal authorities confirmed on Thursday that an investigation is
underway on alleged security loopholes in Darwin's immigration facilities
following the lapses that occurred last month, which was punctuated by a
peaceful protest of detained immigrants who sprung out from the centre. An
Immigration Department spokesman admitted that the Northern Territory
Licensing Commission is conducting an inquiry on Serco, which was tasked by
the department to provide for security on the detention facilities. The
same official told AAP that Serco is delegating some of its
responsibilities to MSS Security though he stressed that the Immigration
Department has ensured that the security firm was duly reminded to only
employ trained and licensed personnel and comply with all relevant laws.
The spokesman also revealed that some former MSS Security employees were
facing compliance actions and Serco has been cooperative so far with the
ongoing investigation, which came following series of incidents in the past
few months where asylum seekers rioted in the facilities, vandalised the
centre and staged a protest action after breaking out of detention.
Meanwhile, federal opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison warned
that the government would be made responsible if allegations of unlicensed
workers were made to man the immigration centre were proven true. Mr
Morrison told ABC that the government cannot put the entire blame on
security contractors since it has the ultimate responsibility as he
stressed that "the government must ensure that that licensed operators
are only ever used in the care and supervision of people who are being
detained by the state."
September 1, 2010 ABC
The asylum seekers pushed through two electric fences to break out of the
facility. The Department of Immigration has not said how the men were able
to get out of the centre, which has two electric fences. But a refugee
advocate says a member of staff may have helped the asylum seekers escape
from the centre early this morning. Pamela Kerr from the Asylum Centre
Resource Centre in Melbourne, who came to Darwin to visit the asylum
seekers on Tuesday, says she thinks a detention staffer let them out.
"It's my understanding that the men didn't break out of the centre,
that somebody with a heart opened the door and let them out," she
said. "There are very mixed feelings amongst the people staffing our
detention centres." The stand-off lasted seven-and-a-half hours before
dozens of police officers broke up the peaceful protest. The asylum seekers
did not resist when they were searched and led into police vans, to be
taken to the watch-house in the CBD. Before the protest ended one of the
asylum seekers threw journalists a message in a bottle pleading for
protection. It was ripped as police tried to take the note from
journalists. "Help me please. I came here for protection, not
detention," the note read. "Even the foreign forces are helpless
and not safe in Afghanistan. Have mercy please, Australian people."
Break-out -- The asylum seekers escaped the facility about 6:30am (ACST).
The group gathered outside the centre's perimeter fence next to the busy
Stuart Highway. Five men involved in the protest were taken to hospital.
One man is suffering chest pains, three are being treated for heat
exhaustion, while the other man is being treated for an existing foot
injury. It does not appear any of the injuries were sustained during the
breakout. Ms Kerr says the men are Shiah Muslims, a minority group often
targeted on account of their religion. She says the men fear they will be
killed if they are sent back to Afghanistan. During the protest the asylum
seekers held signs that read: "Please help us", "Show us
mercy", and "We are homeless, defenceless and we seek
protection". Two of the asylum seekers told the ABC they were from
Afghanistan and had been waiting up to nine months in detention. They said
they arrived by boat and had since been refused refugee status in
Australia. "Nine months we [are] here because that's why I want to go
out to talk with you, all of the population of Australia. I need your
help," one said. "My children aren't safe in this place. We don't
know where is our family." Company may face fine -- Immigration
Minister Chris Evans says the private company that runs the Darwin centre,
Serco, may be fined for breach of contract after this morning's breakout.
He says it appears the asylum seekers may have taken advantage of a change
to procedures after Indonesian men charged with people smuggling rioted on
the weekend. "Under the contract we can fine them for failure to
perform to acceptable standards. I would say though that they are under a
lot of pressure given the numbers in detention currently," he said.
Senator Evans says asylum seekers could also face criminal charges relating
to the incident. Serco is refusing to say how detainees managed to break
out this morning and says it will not be making any public statements.
'Pressure-cooker situation' -- Opposition immigration spokesman Scott
Morrison says the Government's policies have created overcrowded detention
centres. "What we are seeing up in Darwin is of great concern,"
he said. "This is a pressure-cooker situation." He says the
Opposition has sought a briefing on the incident, but the Government has
refused the request. "What all this is symptomatic of is a detention
network which has been pushed to complete breaking point," he said.
"There are more than 4,100 people who are now being detained by the
Department of Immigration and Citizenship as a result of Labor's failed
policies. "This is the highest number of people being detained by the
department in our history." A riot, also involving up to 100 people,
broke out at the Darwin centre over the weekend. The immigration department
says the weekend protest began when two men climbed a tree and refused to
come down and escalated to involve the majority of the Indonesian crew
members being detained in the centre for alleged people smuggling.
August 30, 2010 The
Age
DOZENS of Indonesian detainees rioted at Darwin's immigration detention
centre early yesterday to protest against their treatment, which includes
mandatory jail sentences of up to 20 years. Almost all of the detainees are
poor fishermen duped by ruthless people smugglers to steer asylum seeker
boats into Australian waters. Their anger and frustration erupted into
violence after two men climbed a tree inside a compound at the centre where
97 Indonesians are being held. When they refused to climb down, other
detainees joined the protest which grew worse at about 8am (Darwin time)
when rioters set fire to rubbish and mattresses they had piled in the
grounds. For several hours 12 detainees refused to leave the roofs of
demountable buildings, from where they yelled abuse. Some were brandishing
two-metre long poles, which they used to stop security guards climbing up.
At one point a metal chair was thrown from a roof. Screaming and banging
could be heard from behind two high wire fences that surround the centre,
which is in the grounds of the Coonawarra Naval Base, on Darwin's
outskirts. Police eventually talked the detainees down and the situation
was brought under control by mid-morning. At the height of the disturbance,
Afghan asylum seekers were evacuated from an adjoining compound. An
Immigration official said no one was seriously hurt. Investigators will
view security footage before considering whether to lay charges. An
official confirmed that the Indonesians were protesting about their legal
treatment. Lawyers and several Northern Territory judges have described as
an injustice the way the crews of asylum seeker boats are treated as people
smugglers. Most of the real smugglers who paid the Indonesian crewmen a few
hundred dollars to steer the boats remain in Indonesia where people
smuggling laws do not exist. In most cases, the crew were told they would
be quickly sent back to Indonesia after arriving in Australia and were
shocked to learn they instead face long periods in an Australian jail.
August 13, 2010 Northern
Territory News
SEVERAL asylum seekers and security staff were rushed to hospital after
a fight broke out over internet usage in a Darwin detention centre. The 10
detainees and two security guards suffered cuts and bruises in the brawl.
Earlier media reports said one of the guards had a broken arm. But
Immigration Department spokesman Bill Power said: "That's not true. He
said a guard has suffered a bruised arm. Police were called for back-up
when an argument between an Afghan man and an Indonesian man escalated at
the Northern Immigration Detention Facility in Berrimah about 1.40am on
Wednesday. Two small groups started fighting while at least 100 people from
the compounds southern blocks looked on. Up to four police officers and St
John Ambulance attended the centre. But police said the disturbance calmed
down when the officers arrived. Immigration confirmed on Friday the
argument started over the use of the internet. "It was basically a
small argument that got out of control," Mr Power said. Security
company Serco has the $45 million department contract to look after more
than 450 people in the detention centre and the detainees in alternative
accommodations in Darwin. The fight comes two weeks after a Burmese
detainee of the centre, in his 30s, claimed a security guard had assaulted
him when he refused to take headache tablets. Immigration rejected the
version of the incident, describing it as an "altercation". Mr
Bill said the department asked Serco to investigate the latest fight.
"We are always concerned when people take violent actions and we will
look at it in our own way," he said. "The Department asked Serco
to conduct an investigation into this matter."
New South Wales Government
March 27, 2009 The Australian
THE research director of a British-based group that is expected to bid for
contracts to operate two jails in NSW has backed privatised facilities in
which inmates have keys to their cells and are on a first-name basis with
their jailers. Gary Sturgess, research director of the Serco Group, will
tell a NSW parliamentary inquiry today that decency, not efficiency, is the
main reason to privatise jails. He says overseas experience shows that
prisoners enjoy more privileges -- including being given the keys to their
own cells -- in correctional systems where private and public providers compete.
Prisoners in these systems spend more time out of their cells and have far
greater interaction with their jailers -- with whom they are frequently on
first-name terms -- than in systems where public providers face no
competition, Mr Sturgess says. The results are safer jails and lower rates
of reoffending. Serco is expected to bid for the contracts to operate
Cessnock prison, in the Hunter Valley, and Parklea prison, in western
Sydney, when the jails are privatised this year. The company already operates
one jail in Victoria and one in Western Australia. The decision by NSW
Premier Nathan Rees to privatise the two prisons has aroused heated
opposition from public sector unions and the Greens, and is opposed by a
minority of MPs in the Labor caucus. The privatisation of the jails is
being driven by Prisons Minister John Robertson, who led the campaign
against power privatisation as a union leader. Mr Sturgess's submission to
the upper house inquiry links private jail services in Britain to the
"decency agenda" pursued by former British prime minister Tony
Blair. "Contract prisons in the UK are more humane, partly because
government demanded a higher standard when writing the original contracts,
partly because price was not allowed to dominate the procurement process,
and partly because the political and policy environment at the time when
the market was first established was focused on the quality of prison
life," the submission from Serco argues. As NSW cabinet chief under
former Liberal premier Nick Greiner between 1988 and 1992, Mr Sturgess
drove a reform agenda that included the corporatisation of government
enterprises such as the railways and electricity transmission. He told The
Australian yesterday the British experience showed governments could use
competition in prison services as a way to set higher standards, not just
to get better value for money. "It gives a government an opportunity
to say, 'What kind of prisons do we want here?'," Mr Sturgess said. He
said the inmates in low- and medium-security prisons in Britain had been
allowed to hold duplicate keys to their own cells, which improved both
efficiency and decency. "If (the warder) is the only one with a key,
then every time a prisoner wants to go in and out of their cell you've got
to send somebody to look at it," he said. "This way, the inmate
has the dignity of having private space and a greater sense of
security." The higher proportion of women officers in private jails
had changed the atmosphere. "The difference is that if you've got a prison
full of males, with all the testosterone pumping around, people will
attempt to man up," he said. "You're not going to get any credit
for assaulting a woman." While such arguments will confound critics of
prison privatisation on the Left, Mr Sturgess, as a stalwart of NSW
politics, knows another obstacle will be the tough-on-crime stand of the
major parties. "The objective has got to be to reduce the cycle of
reoffending," Mr Sturgess said. "If the consequence of failing to
address quality issues is that we do not break the cycle of reoffending,
we're actually increasing the crime problem."
Nottinghamshire Prison
December 17, 2009 Liverpool Daily
Post
A LIVERPOOL prison is among five in the country allowing its inmates to
watch satellite television. More than 4,000 prisoners enjoy the privilege
in private jails nationwide. Altcourse Prison, in Fazakerley, is among the
contractor-run prisons allowing access to a “limited number” of satellite
channels. The number of prisoners allowed to watch satellite varies
according to behaviour. But Justice minister and city MP Maria Eagle
revealed the number was currently around 4,070. The Garston MP was
responding to a written question from Tory MP Philip Davies. She said no
inmates in public sector jails have access to satellite in their quarters.
But they do at Altcourse and other GS4-run prisons in South Wales and
Warwickshire. The other private prisons offering satellite television are
run by Serco in Staffordshire and Nottingham. Ms Eagle said: “In these
establishments, satellite television in cells is generally only available
to prisoners on the enhanced or standard level of the incentives and earned
privileges scheme.” There are 84,500 prisoners in England and Wales,
meaning around one in 20 has access to satellite TV.
Inmates at a
Nottinghamshire prison have too little to do, according to a new
report. An unannounced inspection was carried out at privately-run
Lowdham Grange by the Prison Inspectorate in March. The study also
said low staffing levels identified four years ago are still a
problem. Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said the prison is
generally doing a good job and is "managing some difficult prisoners
well". But she said: "They must provide more purposeful
activity for the prisoners because that is very important." She
said the prison has "a low staffing level, inexperienced staff and a
high staff turnover", but added the prison does have control of its
prisoners. (BBC, June 23, 2004)
Pontville
Immigration Detention Center, Pontville,
Tasmania
November 7, 2011 ABC News
A Tasmanian Liberal Senator has slammed the sacking of security guards at
an immigration detention centre in southern Tasmania. Eric Abetz says 36
people have been dismissed from the Pontville facility, north of Hobart,
which is currently housing about 200 male detainees. He says the Federal
Government promised the centre would create much needed jobs in the area
and it is yet another broken promise. "Tasmanians were promised lots
of jobs and that it would be of real benefit to the Tasmanian
community." "Today we have witnessed 36 people losing their
employment and the Tasmanian people have a right to feel betrayed," he
said. Serco, the centre's managers, insist staffing levels are adequate. A
spokesman says the security guards were contractors employed on a temporary
basis, while surveillance systems were brought online.
Premier Prisons, UK
August 7, 2006 Sharewatch
Support services company Serco Group PLC confirmed today it has held
talks with potential investors over the possible sale of its investments in
some of its private finance initiative (PFI) projects. The company, which
was responding to media reports, said it would retain management of the PFI
projects and the associated long-term service contracts in the event of any
sale. It added there was no certainty that any deals will be agreed. Serco
is talking about selling the majority of its PFI equity investments to I2,
the joint venture fund set up by Barclays Private Equity and SG Corporate
& Investment Banking, according to the Financial Times. Serco plans to
dispose of seven of its 11 PFI equity investments, which are understood to
be worth more than 70 mln stg, the newspaper reported. It is understood the
investments up for sale include Serco\'s equity in the Joint Services
Command and Staff College, a flagship PFI project, and the company\'s
equity stake in Premier Prisons, the private prisons and correctional
services contractor, although Serco\'s involvement in those projects would
continue.
June 12, 2003
Support services group Serco has taken Wackenhut Correction Corporation
(WCC) to court over the future of Premier Custodial Group, their
joint-owned subsidiary The court action began just days after Group
4 sold its interest in WCC back to the company. The companies are in
dispute over the future of Premier's UK operations following the take-over
of Wackenhut, WCC's parent company by Group 4 earlier this year. The action
began on 6 May the court is expected to reach its decision by the end of
the month. Serco is claiming that the take-over, which had placed the
57% of WCC formerly owned by Wackenhut under Group 4's control, triggered a
clause in the original contract agreement which allows it to buy out WCC's
half of the company at 90% of fair market value. A Serco spokesman
said: "As far as we are concerned, Group 4's buy-out of Wackenhut
Corporation triggered the shareholder's agreement and we are intending to
exercise that." Premier has won three PFI contracts to build and
run prisons, making it one of the largest players in the PFI corrections
market, along with the Sodexho-owned United Kingdom Detention Services and
Group 4's own Global Solutions Limited. (Public Private Finance)
Prisoner Tagging, Scotland & UK
Dec
21, 2013 publicfinance.co.uk
Outsourcing
firm Secro has agreed to repay £68.5m to government as a result of
overcharging the Ministry of Justice for electronic tagging services that
had not been carried out. Following the conclusion of a cross-government
review of contracts held by the firm and G4S following the overcharging
allegations in July, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said yesterday a
settlement had been reached following a contract audit. The total repayment
covers both reimbursement of money owed on the electronic monitoring
contract and for other costs incurred, including the cost of the review. It
also includes £4.2m to pay the costs incurred after the MoJ announced that
the contracts would be taken over by Capita by the end of the financial
year. Cabinet office minister Francis Maude said it was ‘good news for
taxpayers’ that Serco have agreed to make the payment. ‘We are confident
that the company is taking steps to address the issues which our review has
identified, he added. ‘Since day one this government has been working to
reform contract management and improve commercial expertise in Whitehall.
Everything we have seen has highlighted the importance of these reforms and
we will be redoubling our efforts over the coming months, including through
the establishment of the new Crown Commercial Service. Last year our
procurement reforms saved the taxpayer £3.8bn, but there is more to do as
part of our long-term plan to drive greater value for hard-working
families.’ The MoJ’s audit of G4S contracts has uncovered ‘serious issues’
with invoicing in 2 further contracts held by G4S for facilities management
in the courts. While the department said that it does not have evidence to
confirm dishonesty has taken place at this stage, it has referred both
matters to the Serious Fraud Office in order to establish whether this was
the case. G4S and Serco are already subject to a criminal investigation by
the SFO over the tagging deals. The government said it had also asked G4S
to implement a corporate renewal plan. The firm has already said it would
provide the MoJ with a £23.3m credit note after admitting that overcharging
had occurred, but the department has not yet said whether it will accept
this offer.
ourkingdom,
Nov 20, 2013
Two
outsourcing giants who tagged and monitored ex-offenders charged British
taxpayers tens of millions of pounds for doing nothing. A new report
reveals flagrant and systematic abuses, ahead of executives' interrogation
by Members of Parliament today. Earlier this month, in the briefest of
press releases, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced that it had
initiated a criminal investigation into security companies G4S and Serco,
following allegations that they had overcharged on electronic monitoring
contracts. A few months earlier both companies had pulled out of bidding for
the next generation of such contracts. Yesterday the National Audit Office
(NAO) published a report on the matter. According to the NAO report, the
Ministry of Justice first identified anomalies in data provided by G4S
earlier this year, as part of preparations to retender the electronic
monitoring contracts. Not satisfied with the G4S explanation the Ministry
called in accountants PwC to conduct a forensic audit of the G4S contract.
PwC began its work in May 2013, subsequently expanding it to cover the Serco
contract in addition to the G4S one. The audit identified three charging
practices that are at the heart of the dispute between the Ministry on the
one hand and G4S and Serco on the other.
1.
Charging based on orders vs charging based on subjects: One individual
(the subject) can have more than one order imposed upon them. Even though
each subject is monitored only once, Serco and G4S appear to have charged
for each order, something the Ministry argues they should not have done.
For example, Serco monitored one subject with four separate orders,
charging for each order being monitored, rather than just for the subject.
2.
Charging a fee after electronic monitoring has ceased: Serco and G4S
were continuing to charge a monitoring fee when individuals were no longer
being monitored. Examples cited in the report include: An individual
sentenced to two years' imprisonment for breach of curfew conditions in September
2011. G4S removed the monitoring equipment in the same month. However, by
May 2013 it was still charging a monitoring fee, at the cumulative cost of
around £3,000. In another case Serco charged monitoring fees for over two
and a half years after equipment had been removed following a breach of
bail conditions.
3.
Charging monitoring fees whether or not monitoring equipment had been
installed: Serco and G4S have been charging from the formal start of
the monitoring period even if monitoring equipment has not been installed.
In most cases this might have resulted in an extra day of charging.
However, the NAO observes that 'in some cases equipment was never
successfully installed but charging nonetheless occurred for months or even
years'. In an example cited by the report Serco tried unsuccessfully to
install monitoring equipment at an address on multiple occasions between
July 2008 and April 2012, charging some £15,500 over the five year period,
despite the fact that the monitoring equipment was never installed. Monitoring
into the next millennium: One of the most striking paragraphs in the
report covers the different, and rather arcane, matter of determining end
dates in relation to bail orders: 'Although Serco and G4S used different
management information systems, our understanding is that both systems
required an end date for an order to be entered so that those systems could
function properly. As bail orders typically did not have specified end
dates that could be entered both providers chose arbitrary end dates as
standard, on the basis that otherwise there was a risk that orders might
have been closed down before an appropriate authority requested that this
occur. In the case of G4S this was set as being the year 2020, and in the
case of Serco the year 3000. This meant that charges on individual cases
could have continued until an end date was formally notified by an
appropriate authority.' Taken together these practices were rather
lucrative. The NAO reports that potential overcharges could be in the
region of 'tens of millions of pounds'. G4S have offered to repay £23.3
million — in the form of credit notes, an offer the government has, apparently,
declined. Serco has said that it will 'refund any agreed overcharges'. A
further audit of the contracts is currently being undertaken. Both
companies also continue to face investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.
This should all provide extra spice to what was already shaping up to be
compulsory viewing for policy anoraks everywhere: the appearance this
afternoon of G4S, Serco, Capita and Atos executives before the powerful
House of Commons Public Accounts Committee.
25
July 2013 bbc.co.uk
Prison
ratings: 'Serious concern' over two private prisons There are 134 prisons
in England and Wales Continue reading the main story Two privately-run
prisons are among three the government has expressed "serious
concern" over, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) ratings have revealed. HMP
Oakwood, run by G4S in the West Midlands, HMP Thameside, run by Serco in
London, and the Prison Service's HMP Winchester in Hampshire, were given
the lowest performance rating of one. Oakwood and Thameside are among 14
privately-run prisons in England and Wales. There are a total of 134. The
MoJ said action was being taken. Critics called on the government to
"halt the privatisation of justice". The ratings come after
private security companies G4S and Serco came under fire for overcharging
the government by "tens of millions of pounds" for providing
electronic tags for criminals. It triggered a government-wide review of all
contracts held by the two firms. 'Deteriorated sharply' In the annual
assessment a further 12 prisons were said to be "of concern",
while the remainder were either rated as having an "exceptional
performance" or "meeting the majority of targets".
Separately, every probation trust in England and Wales was rated
"good" or "exceptional" by the MoJ. Oakwood opened in
April 2012 and is one of the largest jails in the country, with capacity
for 1,600 male inmates. On its website, the prison says that it aspires to
be regarded as "the leading prison in the world" within five
years. Thameside opened in March 2012 and can hold 900 male prisoners.
Winchester Prison, built in 1846, was criticised by inspectors earlier this
year after two elderly disabled men were locked up together for almost 24
hours a day, without easy access to showers. Inspectors said standards at
the jail had "deteriorated sharply". Prison reform campaigners
said the ratings provided further evidence that Justice Secretary Chris
Grayling needed to reconsider his promised "rehabilitation
revolution", under which private security firms would be paid to
supervise low to medium-level offenders across England and Wales.
'Fanatical obsession' Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League
for Penal Reform, said: "There could not be a more damning indictment
of the government's fanatical obsession with justice privatisation than its
own performance figures. "Last autumn, the justice secretary hailed
G4S Oakwood as an example of what the private sector could achieve in
prisons. We agree. The prison, ranked joint-bottom in the country, is
wasting millions and creating ever more victims of crime." An MoJ
spokesman said HMPs Thameside and Oakwood were "still in the early
stages of their development". "Experience demonstrates that it
takes up to two years for a new prison to develop and embed good working
practices that underpin the successful delivery of positive regimes for
prisoners," he said. The spokesman also insisted "decisive
action" was being taken to address the concerns raised. "We are
confident that Thameside and Oakwood will deliver the improvements required
of them and will become well-run prisons that reduce the risk of future
reoffending for the people they hold," he said. 'Significant progress'
On Winchester, the spokesman said a performance improvement action plan was
in place and "significant progress" had been made. The National
Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for agreeing and
publishing annual performance ratings for each prison in England and Wales.
NOMS looks at how prisons have done on public protection, reducing
reoffending, decency and resource management and operational effectiveness.
Performance is graded into four bands - four indicates exceptional
performance; three means a majority of targets have been met; two indicates
overall performance is of concern and one suggest performance is of serious
concern.
12
July 2013 opendemocracy.net
G4S
& Serco fraud inquiry: Five things the British public need to know
about privatising criminal justice. It was a shocking announcement. Chris
Grayling, looking more rattled than at any other time since he became
Justice Secretary, told the House of Commons yesterday that Serco and G4S
had overcharged his department by tens of millions of pounds for electronic
monitoring services. Flabbergasted MPs heard that the government had been
invoiced for the monitoring of people who had been sent back to prison. For
people who had left the country. For people who had never been monitored at
all. Even for people who had died. As a result, Serco will undergo a
forensic audit to uncover the extent of the wrongdoing. G4S, perhaps
calling the Justice Secretary’s bluff, refused to cooperate and now find
themselves the subject of an investigation from the Serious Fraud Office.
The scandal has already shone a light on the extent to which our public
services are provided by these two companies. Combined, Serco and G4S
receive around £1.5 billion of taxpayers’ money each year through contracts
with ten different government departments – with almost £500 million worth
of contracts from the Ministry of Justice alone. There needs to be much
more public debate about the privatisation of justice as well as access to
detailed information about how these companies operate, the profits they
make and whether privatisation is providing the taxpayer with value for
money. Here are five points that I think ought to be central to any such
debate. 1.Handing the justice system to private security firms is Plan A –
and there is no Plan B. While the huge number and value of government
contracts G4S and Serco already hold will have surprised many, it is highly
likely even more public money will be paid to these companies in the coming
years. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are currently planning to massively
expand the number of people subject to electronic monitoring, privatise
approximately 80 per cent of the probation service and outsource much of
the court service to private companies. Without the involvement of large
private security companies like Serco and G4S, these reforms will be
impossible. 2.The Ministry of Justice is not very good at outsourcing
services. This is the second time this year that huge failings have been
uncovered in contracts between private companies and the MoJ. Just a few
months ago, the department’s handling of the court translation services
contract was the subject of damning criticism, with a Justice Select
Committee report concluding that the ‘Ministry of Justice's handling of the
outsourcing of court interpreting services has been nothing short of
shambolic. It did not have an adequate understanding of the needs of
courts, it failed to heed warnings from the professionals concerned, and it
did not put sufficient safeguards in place to prevent interruptions in the
provision of quality interpreting services to courts.’ 3.There is no real
market in criminal justice. The tagging scandal makes it plain that when
the MoJ talks about competition in criminal justice services it only really
means competition between Serco, G4S and, at a stretch, one or two other
large private companies. If they are to continue to pursue their ambitious
privatisation plans the MoJ should at the very least take steps to ensure
that this discredited oligopoly is broken down. 4.Privatisation leads to
less transparency and accountability. The removal and restriction of
liberty are some of the most powerful tools at the state’s disposal – and
should therefore be a crucial area of public inquiry and democratic
oversight. But private companies are exempt from freedom of information
legislation even when providing public services. Further, contracts between
government departments and corporations can often not even be scrutinised
by parliament, let alone the public, on the grounds of commercial
confidentiality. 5.Privatisation can lead to growth in the wrong areas. The
MoJ is planning to greatly expand electronic monitoring, with some
predicting that the number of people tagged will rise from 30,000 to
100,000 under current proposals. However, it should be remembered that
despite many studies and evaluations there is yet no evidence that tagging
reduces reoffending or improves public protection. Electronic monitoring
might be highly profitable, but is most definitely not highly effective. As
in many other sectors, marketisation provides producers with an incentive
to try and push up demand, clearly conflicting with the public good or
taxpayer value.
17
May 2013 www.bbc.co.uk
Serco
and G4S face billing probe over electronic tagging. The £700m tagging
contracts were signed in 2004. Two major private security firms face an
investigation into whether they were overpaid for contracts to
electronically tag criminals. G4S and Serco will be investigated after
Ministry of Justice officials identified potential "billing"
issues. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said the companies had promised to
reimburse his department if errors had been made. Both firms defended their
services and said they were co-operating fully with the audit. The
contracts are worth £107m a year but unions say this could rise to more
than £1bn by 2015. Report within weeks Mr Grayling said potential issues
had been thrown up during the retendering process for the contract to track
offenders by satellite. Electronic tagging is used to monitor criminals
when they are released and to make sure they stick to any curfews.
Offenders have the tag attached to their ankle and their movements recorded
via a monitoring unit in their home. Any curfew breaches or interference
with the tag is reported to a control centre. "I take this issue very
seriously and my priority is to ensure that taxpayers' money is spent
appropriately and delivers value for money," the justice secretary
said. But Keith Vaz, chair of the influential Home Affairs Select
Committee, accused the government of failing to monitor the contracts
"despite knowing the difficulties with G4S". "G4S and Serco
currently hold 17 contracts with the Home Office and it is essential a
complete audit of these contracts is now conducted," Mr Vaz said.
Auditors Price Waterhouse Coopers will look at information supplied to the
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) by the two companies during the tendering process
and the department's management of the contract. They are expected to
report back on their findings within six weeks. "Our suppliers have
told me that they take this seriously too," Mr Grayling added.
"They are co-operating fully and they have given me clear assurances
that if any adjustment is required to charges made to date, this will be
put right promptly and repayments made." 'Rush to privatise' In a
statement, G4S said it was carrying out the electronic monitoring of
offenders in a "completely open and transparent way". "We
have worked with successive governments to provide electronic monitoring
services and under the current agreement, which started in 2005, we
estimate we have delivered savings to the UK taxpayer of more than £2
billion," the statement said. Serco's Elaine Bailey said the company
had "every confidence" in the service provided to the MoJ and
would co-operate fully with the audit. But probation officers' union Napo
called for the two firms to be "disallowed" from delivering
services until the audit was complete, and criticised the government's
"rush to privatise the probation service". Government plans to
out-source much of the probation service to providers on so-called
payment-by-results contracts were recently criticised by senior probation
officers. Charities, voluntary groups and private firms like G4S and Serco
stand to benefit from the proposals.
July 7, 2007 Daily Mail
Alarming failures in the way that terror suspects are kept under
surveillance by electronic tagging have been revealed. Staff working for
the company responsible for maintaining a round-the-clock watch on
individuals linked to terrorism have no idea who they are monitoring. And
the system itself frequently crashes - sometimes, it is claimed for as long
as eight hours at a time. As security chiefs continued their investigations
into the terror threat following the failed London and Glasgow airport
bombing attacks, it emerged that: •The 'eye' which monitors the tagged suspects
relies on the mobile phone network operated by O2 - making it vulnerable to
a complete crash whenever the phone system goes down. •The system is
rendered useless when some offenders take a bath - allowing them to use it
as an excuse for avoiding detection. •Anonymity orders set by courts mean
that terror suspects are referred to by staff as the "Alphabet Men' -
Mr A or Mr B - keeping their real identity a secret from those monitoring
their movements. •Offenders can remove the metal tag by melting it with a
cigarette lighter. Last night the Justice Ministry pledged a change in
'operational procedures' in response to what it described as 'very serious
allegations', while Opposition MPs demanded a Commons statement. The BBC's
Panorama programme will reveal its own investigation into the tagging
system, after an undercover reporter got a job at the Norwich headquarters
of Serco, which has the £100million contract to run the Government's Home
Detention Scheme. Serco is also responsible for keeping track of a number
of the 17 terrorism suspects subject to control orders imposed by British
courts as an emergency measure after the Government found it impossible to
hold them without trial. At any one time, 2,700 criminals are supposed to
be closely monitored under the tagging regime to ensure they do not leave
home during curfew hours, which are usually between 7pm and 7am. The Mail
on Sunday has separately been told that one network failure, rendering the
tagging system unworkable in large parts of the country, lasted for eight
hours after the O2 signal went down. Last night Serco denied the failure
lasted that long, saying it had lasted for 'no more than an hour'.
Offenders who abuse the tagging system also have aget out<$$>
ready-made excuse - because the tags do not work in the bath. If an alarm
signals that the subject has absconded, Serco staff who phone up his or her
home address to check up are often told that the missing person is 'in the
bath', where the system may not work. The company said that this only
occurred if the bath was made of cast iron. But most older baths common in
rented properties are made of cast iron. Panorama reporter Irene Kyme kept
a diary of her time working for Serco, which has 29,000 employees in the UK
and dozens of multi- million contracts with Whitehall departments and
councils. The diary is not included in the programme to be shown on Tuesday
but has been disclosed to The Mail on Sunday. Her entry for February 21
reads: "One of my team-mates took a call from O2 today who told her
all of the network in the country might go down temporarily. This would
mean losing contact with all of the [electronic tagging] boxes in the
country. Her entry for the next day says: "I had assumed this [network
failure] had not happened because I heard no more about it. "But today
we all received several calls from subjects [tag wearers] saying their
boxes had rung a couple of times and then stopped." On March 5 Kyme
wrote: "More O2 signal problems tonight. We were given a pile of
papers with hundreds of postcodes that had serious outages where we could
not monitor the boxes. It was because O2 was doing engineering work all
over the country. "I would have thought they would have arranged for a
back-up system if they knew they could not rely on the O2 mobile phone
signal." According to Kyme, the network was down for eight hours
between 10pm and 6am. Serco, however, says the cut-out lasted for 'no more
than an hour'. Liberal Democrat MP Bob Russell, a member of the Commons
Home Affairs Select Committee, said: "People who come before the
courts should not be handed over as a commodity to private companies that
run private prisons, private prison vehicles or electronic tagging and
whose motive is profit. "There is clearly something wrong with the electronic
tagging system which needs to be looked at urgently by the Home Office and
the Ministry of Justice. "I shall be raising this with the Select
Committee. Whether it's somebody in breach of an ASBO or somebody more
serious like a potential terrorist suspect, we particularly need to know
whether any of those tagged can induce a malfunction. "This would be
worrying at any time, but concerns have been heightened by the failed
terrorist attacks of the past week." A Ministry of Justice spokesman
said: "These are very serious allegations and any failures will be
thoroughly investigated. Officials will be working with contractors to
ensure that lessons are learned, with changes made to operational
procedures where appropriate." A Serco spokesman said: "We regret
that the BBC over the course of five months have repeatedly refused to make
their material available to us so we can address any issues that arise.
"We will investigate the matters they raise and where necessary take
action. If the BBC has identified areas for improvement, we will of course
act on this." He added: "Even if the phone signal does go down,
there are back-up systems to make sure that contact and monitoring is
maintained. "As soon as the connection is restored, all the
information about the offender's whereabouts during the period in question
will be automatically downloaded to the control centre."
December 5,
2005 The Sun
A CRIMINAL was allowed to roam free after a second blunder by a jail
tagging firm. Justin Keefe, 25, was meant to have been contacted at home
and have a tag fitted after being released early from jail. But nobody got
in touch - even after his mum phoned ASKING them to monitor him. The
mistake has been blamed on Premier Monitoring Services - slammed for
failing to keep tabs on jewellery raider Peter Williams. He had torn off a
tag meant to monitor his movements before a robbery in Nottingham in which
an accomplice shot dead jeweller Marian Bates. Williams, 19, was later
jailed for life for his part in the murder. The latest gaffe came days
after Home Office vowed there would not be a repeat. Keefe, from Streetly,
West Midlands, who was jailed for eight months for two offences of affray,
said: "It seems that nobody can even be bothered to tag me."
Premier claim the blunder happened because private prison firm UKDS failed
to fax them to say Keefe was being released. UKDS deny doing anything
wrong. The Home Office is investigating.
September 19,
2005 The Herald
THE private security firm set to take over the electronic tagging of
prisoners in Scotland has been censured for its failings in monitoring a
teenager convicted of the murder of a jeweller while under its supervision.
Serco, which runs Scotland's only private prison, has been awarded
preferred-bidder status for the tender to operate electronic tagging on
teenage and adult offenders north of the border for five years from April.
However, the electronic tagging firm Premier Monitoring, which is owned by
Serco, displayed an "inadequate understanding of its
responsibilities", according to an official report into the murder of
Marian Bates, a Nottingham jeweller who was killed two years ago. Mrs
Bates, 64, was shot dead in her family shop as she tried to shield her
daughter Xanthe from armed robbers in September 2003. Peter Williams, now
19, was a cocaine addict who had been in trouble with the law since the age
of 11 for offences including burglary and indecent assault. He had been
released from a young offenders' institution on licence just 20 days before
the murder of Mrs Bates. An official report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate
of Probation into the killing found probation workers and Premier
Monitoring made a catalogue of errors in their supervision of Williams. He
had breached his curfew order at least six times, and even removed the
electronic tag that was supposed to restrict his movements, yet little was
done. However, Premier failed to inform his youth offending team of this
until the morning of Mrs Bates's murder, by which time he had removed the
tag completely. Serco, which also owns Premier Custodial Services, operator
of Kilmarnock Prison, is set to take over the contract for tagging
offenders in Scotland from Reliance, the private security firm. Premier was
criticised earlier this year amid claims of staff shortages and negligence
at HMP Kilmarnock.
Prisoner Transport, Australia
Jun
15, 2014 perthnow.com.au
NINETEEN
people – including five in WA – have escaped Immigration Department custody
this year and remain on the run. And a Vietnamese man who gave his Serco
escort the slip at the check-in desk of Perth International Airport last
week is one of those still missing. Secrecy surrounds the 36-year-old man’s
escape, with Serco refusing to say how many guards were with him, whether
he was restrained and how he managed to slip away. The man dodged Serco
guards in the check-in area about 9.15am last Saturday, sparking an
unsuccessful five-hour search involving Australian Federal Police and WA
Police from three stations. The search ended that day, but the man hasn’t
been found. Detainees are not handcuffed, but Serco is warned by the
department if a particular detainee is considered a flight risk. It is not
known if they were warned in this case. Serco would not comment on the
incident for “operational and security reasons”. Immigration Minister Scott
Morrison would not say what was being done to search for the man, who he
described as an “illegal maritime arrival”. “The Department’s compliance
team is continuing investigations into the potential whereabouts of the
man,” a spokeswoman for Mr Morrison said. “It would not be appropriate to
comment on operational matters as this could impact the investigation.”
Only eight of the 27 people who have escaped the department’s custody this
year have been located. Twelve of the escapes and seven of the recaptures
happened in WA. Eight people, mainly Vietnamese nationals, escaped from
Yongah Hill Detection Centre in Northam in January, prompting Mr Morrison
to call for a review of the centre’s management. The centre is run by
Serco. Under its contract with the department, Serco can be penalised for
underperformance – including losing a detainee – and potentially lose up to
5 per cent of the value of its contract. Mr Morrison’s office said it would
investigate how the man escaped and consider invoking those penalties. It
is the latest in a series of costly and embarrassing mistakes by the
private contractor, which has a $50 million prisoner transport contract
with the State Government, as well as the multibillion–dollar immigration
detention centre contract with the Federal Government.
Jan
18, 2014 abc.net.au
The
Premier Colin Barnett has ruled out ending the prison transport contract
with Serco despite several recent prisoner escapes. 27-year-old Bradley
John McIntosh-Narrier escaped from two prison guards at Joondalup Hospital
on Friday afternoon. He is the third prisoner to escape from Serco guards
in the past two weeks. Mr Barnett says Serco's performance is being
scrutinised. "Obviously we're going to look very carefully at the
performance of Serco, but as the minister has said you also get escapees
where you have government run prisons, but the situation that happened a
few weeks ago was clearly unacceptable," he said. The search for
McIntosh-Narrier is continuing. He is believed to have stolen a car from
the hospital car park, a black 2002 Toyota Rav 4 with the registration 1BFW
590. Police say he is considered unpredictable and should not be
approached. Sightings should be reported to police.
Serco
says McIntosh-Narrier vandalised property and threatened staff at the
hospital, prompting the guards to shut him in a bathroom, where he made his
escape. It says an initial assessment shows staff followed procedures in
escorting and restraining the prisoner and that an investigation will begin
immediately with the Department of Corrective Services. It also says it is
having discussions with the department over the possible introduction of
new prisoner restraint device, not currently in use in WA. The Department
of Corrective Services has confirmed it will review the incident but has
declined to comment further. A woman visiting the hospital said it appeared
McIntosh-Narrier escaped through the ceiling of a bathroom in the emergency
department. "With the mess that I saw in the toilet, someone very
violent has been in there and totally demolished it," she said.
"There's a big hole right above the toilet where you can stand and
reach the roof."
Jan
9, 2014 The West Australian
The
boss of WA prisons has admitted weaknesses in the security of prison vans
were partly to blame for the escape of a dangerous rapist last week.
Cameron John Graham was just weeks into an 11-year sentence for rape when
he was permitted to move closer to his family in the north of the State for
Christmas. Private prison contractor Serco, which runs WA's prison
transport services, was transferring Graham back to Perth last Friday when
he and another prisoner, alleged armed robber Kelden Edward Fraser, broke
out of a prison van at Geraldton airport. The fugitives stole a car and
went on the run for 36 hours, sparking a massive manhunt and a furious
public reaction. New Corrective Services Commissioner James McMahon said
yesterday the reasons for the escape were "procedural and
mechanical". Mr McMahon refused to give details, citing security
reasons, but said security had been increased since. "I have put
directives in place that fix those issues . . . and that is important
because I need to know I can transport prisoners securely," Mr McMahon
said. _The West Australian _has copies of new directives issued to
corrective services staff, which may shed some light on the circumstances
of the escape. Assistant Commissioner of Custodial Operations Jon Peach
issued a directive on prisoner movements on Monday. "With immediate
effect, all prisons are to ensure that, unless in a secure location or for
the purposes of providing food, water or emergency assistance, any escort
vehicle with prisoners on board shall have all doors closed and locked at
all times . . . until such time as the prisoner occupant(s) of the vehicle
is physically transferred out of the vehicle," the directive said.
Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis said he would be addressing the
issue of the recapture costs in a meeting with Serco next week.
Jan
5, 2014 PERTHNOW
A
NOTORIOUS rapist allowed privileges at Christmas and another fugitive were
captured overnight as Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis was last
night trying to contact the rape victim to apologise for the debacle. The
shambolic escape also resulted in Corrective Services chief James McMahon
yesterday cancelling all non-essential prison transfers. Cameron John
Graham, 22, sentenced in November to 11 years jail for brutally raping a
mother, escaped from custody after being flown from his Perth prison cell
to Geraldton to be close to his family for Christmas. Graham and another
prisoner, Kelden Edward Fraser, 23, were captured after police used a plane
to find their bush camp in the Mullewa area, near Geraldton. Officers were
deployed to the camp where they arrested Graham and Fraser just after 1am
this morning. The men were taken to Geraldton Police Station and have been
returned to Greenough Regional Prison. Police say charges will be laid in
"due course" and the pair will appear in Geraldton Magistrates
Court later this week. Mr Francis told The Sunday Times that he was
"gobsmacked" to learn notorious rapist Cameron John Graham had
been flown from Perth to Greenough Regional Prison at taxpayers' expense to
be closer to his family for Christmas. In a press conference today, Mr
Francis said he understood the van door was unlocked and the prisoners were
not handcuffed. He also said he had not yet received a formal briefing on
the incident, but that he was certain that would happen this week. The
brutal rapist was only a month into his 11-year jail sentence for a crime a
judge found "difficult for a reasonable human being to
comprehend." Mr Francis said he felt for Graham's victim, who has
subsequently left the country following the ordeal. When Graham broke into
the woman's home on January 15 last year he threatened to murder her
children. He then forced her to undress before repeatedly raping his
terrified victim in her walk-in robe. Afterwards he ordered her to drive to
a nearby cash machine and withdraw $400. "I am endeavouring to contact
her and keep her informed and say I'm sorry for what happened," he
said. "I was gobsmacked when I found out he (Graham) had been flown to
Greenough.'' "It wasn't until this happened that I even knew the
department moves prisoners around the state to make things easier for their
families to visit. "The move for him to go to Geraldton wasn't
sanctioned by me as minister or the Commissioner (prisons' boss James
McMahon). Clearly the people who made the assessments on this got it wrong.
I am led to believe it was some senior prison officers who made the
decision. I am trying to find out (who)." Mr Francis denied he had
been missing in action yesterday as the fallout from the scandal continued.
The Sunday Times understands he was moving house. Earlier, acting-Premier
Kim Hames appeared curious earlier in the day about his colleague's
whereabouts when he was left to face questions from the media. Dr Hames
said: "I don't know where he is. He is not my responsibility."
"I don't know the circumstances behind Joe not being able to talk
today. The Minister has a full understanding of the implications of his
responsibilities as a Minister. It's up to him to make those decisions and
up to the Premier to make judgments on whether those decisions are accurate
or not." The escape has increased heat on Serco, the private company
responsible for prisoner transfer. In a thinly-veiled threat to the
contractor, Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis told The Sunday Times
last night: "Of course I am disappointed in Serco. They are skating on
thin ice.'' He also said today that if the company were good 'corporate
citizens', they would foot the bill of the manhunt. In the wake of the
security failure, Commissioner McMahon also ordered a review of the
prisoner transfer process, as the State Opposition called for a
parliamentary inquiry into the debacle.' Mr McMahon said that as a result
of the incident only prison transfers approved by him would go ahead.
"At the department we take this very seriously. Our ultimate job is to
provide safety to the community," he said. "We failed. The
ultimate responsibility for that is me. Let me very clear about that."
He added: "I think it is an outrage. I am going to get to the bottom
of it." Mr McMahon also put Serco on notice. Serco was transporting
the escapees. "There have been a number of incidents that have come
across my desk that have involved Serco," he said. "Do I have
concerns? Absolutely I do. And I am reviewing that in its entirety. "I
will be making my point very strongly and clearly to Serco that the minimum
requirement I require of any organisation that are trans-porting people
from a custodial perspective is that it needs to be done securely."
Opposition spokesman for corrective services Paul Papalia said yesterday Labor
would move a motion calling for the inquiry when parliament resumes next
month. Mr Papalia said it was "inconceivable" that one month
after starting his jail term Graham would be transferred from maximum
security at a Perth prison - believed to be Hakea - to medium-security
Greenough Regional Prison to be closer to his family for Christmas. Mr
Papalia said that Graham did not deserve the festive season perk and the
"risks were too high''. Mr Papalia said: " Corrective Services
minister Joe Francis needs to provide the community a full explanation as
to why this perk was allowed. "When parliament resumes we will attempt
to have this investigated and (we) want the government's support. "In
this case, it would appear the prisoner was transferred to Greenough so that
his family could go and see him in prison - just one month after he was
sentenced. "This is a guy (Mr Francis) who chases publicity for self
promotion and spin but is shy when there is an issue. I will be writing to
the Minister and asking him for the specific process that occurs for
transfers of Mr McMahon said a detailed investigation was also being
conducted by Serco. Mr Papalia said Serco should also be part of the
inquiry. "Serco has had a series of failures in the past few months,''
Mr Papalia said. Graham was being transferred back to Perth on Friday when
he kicked the door out of a prison van at Geraldton airport and stole a
rental car at 1pm. Fraser, 23, on remand at Greenough for alleged armed
robbery, also escaped with him. The car allegedly stolen by the pair was
found bogged 39km north of Mullewa. Police officers had resumed the search
at first light yesterday after reports the escapees were seen refuelling at
a BP service station in Cue, 651km northeast of Perth, about 8.30pm on
Friday. They were seen by police travelling along Great Northern Highway
but disappeared 15km north of Mount Magnet. About 2.30am, police spotted
the car on the Geraldton-Mount Magnet Rd heading east. A car chase ensued
but officers lost them. Police last night used helicopters and night-vision
equipment to locate the men. Serco declined to comment.
Jun
1, 2013 brisbanetimes.com.au
A
whistleblower employee of a security company with a $1.8 billion Australian
government contract says its managers routinely underplay risks of guarding
asylum seekers and prisoners to cut costs, putting the public at risk. The
man who holds a senior position in Serco Asia Pacific, which provides
security for immigration detention centres, has leaked in-confidence
documents to Fairfax Media detailing how the company misjudged recent
operations that led to escapes. “The operational plans are always
incomplete and usually just a cut-and-paste job,” said the whistleblower
working in the company. “This is what they have been directed to do to save
time ... the director calls it generic cost-effective planning.” Documents
show that German-born criminal Carlo Konstantin Kohl, who escaped from
Bangkok airport two weeks ago, had a history of violence, had been addicted
to drugs and was rated as “dangerous” under Aviation Transport Security
Regulations. But documents show that two Serco guards, a man and woman, who
were assigned to travel with him on commercial flights from Australia to
Germany, were given documents telling them he was unlikely to attempt to
escape or to “commit an unlawful interference with aviation”. A Thai police
investigation found the guards were asleep when Kohl wandered around the
airport before escaping through a fire exit door on May 16. He is still on
the run in Thailand with a reward for his capture. Documents show that only
three Serco staff were assigned to escort 18 Vietnamese detainees from an
immigration detention centre in Darwin to church on 28 April, including Van
Binh Tran who had been assessed as “medium risk”. Tran and another
prisoner, Van Hung Ngyuen, escaped while the guards smoked and talked
outside the church during mass, said the whistleblower who asked for
anonymity. Despite that escape, only six Serco staff were assigned to guard
28 Vietnamese detainees during an outing from the Darwin immigration centre
to a clinic for X-rays when six of them escaped on May 21. “The planning
and risk assessments were not done,” the whistleblower said. The
whistleblower, who works in the company's transport and escort branch, also
claimed that an inadequate security assessment was made for career PNG-born
criminal and heroin addict Solomon Baker who fell to his death from a
hospital in the Sydney suburb of Liverpool on April 19. Baker, 33, who was
being deported to PNG after living in Australia since he was a child, had
warned Serco staff at Sydney's Villawood detention centre in 2011 he was
prepared to use “any violence required” to avoid being returned to his home
country after he had punched a guard 10 times. He attacked two staff at the
hospital before he died. The whistleblower said he decided to break the
company's strict secrecy rules “in the hope the attention will force Serco
to improve and stop thinking about the bottom line and more about the big
picture.” “At the moment they are getting a flogging but still don't care
about our reputation as long as the money rolls in,” he said. “What is
happening is disgraceful and is placing not only our lives at risk but the
lives and general safety of the Australian public.” Serco spokesman Paul
Shaw said the company was committed to preventing escapes and protecting
staff and those in detention from coming to harm. “Our policies and
procedures require thorough operational planning to ensure appropriate
resourcing and to mitigate risk,” Mr Shaw said. “We take failure to follow
operational planning procedures seriously.” Mr Shaw said two staff have
been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation. A Senate
estimates hearing was told on Tuesday there were 25 asylum seekers still at
large out of 63 who had escaped immigration detention centres guarded by
Serco in the past year. Fairfax Media revealed last month that Serco's
contracts with the government had blown out by $1.5 billion as Australia's
border protection strains under the weight of increased flows of asylum
seekers. The British-based company has operations worldwide, running
prisons, immigration detention, hospitals and traffic management, among
others. It employs more than 3000 people, providing immigration services in
Australia. A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship
said sanctions could apply to Serco if the company did not meet into
contractual obligations. “In the absence of more specific detail, however,
it would be inappropriate for the department to speculate on this matter,”
he said. Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/political-news/escapes-blamed-on-serco-costcutting-20130529-2nb0l.html#ixzz2UxtBiJaY
Prisoner
Transport, UK
January 12, 2012 This Is Local
London
POLICE are looking for a man who escaped from a security van window as he
was being driven to Belmarsh. Tyran Reid, 33, had just appeared at
Greenwich Magistrates’ Court and was being driven back to prison in a
Serco-Wincanton van on January 6 when he escaped at 4.10pm. Whilst the van
was stationary in traffic in Woolwich Road at a junction with Fingal
Street, Greenwich, Reid managed to slip through a skylight window.
October 16, 2011 BBC
More than 25,000 cab journeys have taken place since August, Serco said.
The Ministry of Justice has admitted a private security firm is using black
cabs to take prison inmates to court. The firm, Serco, has a seven-year
deal - with a further three-year option - worth up to £420m. But the
company has been forced to transport inmates in London and east England in
cabs after their computerised booking system failed. Conservative MP
Patrick Mercer said he would raise the issue with Home Secretary Theresa
May. 'Extraordinarily expensive' -- Mr Mercer said he was worried about the
cost of hiring cabs, and the perception defendants were being driven around
in luxury. "I just think it is ridiculous that a security company such
as Serco misjudges things so badly that prisoners are moved to and fro in
black taxis," he said.
January 15, 2011 The
Sun
THREE private security guards were arrested over claims prisoners were sold
cocaine - at TWO sprawling courts. The two men and a woman were nicked in
swoops hours apart, not thought to be linked. They were suspended by
security firm Serco and are on police bail. Cops, Serco and the Prison
Service launched a joint operation after "intelligence" was
picked up alleging cocaine sales. It is understood the continuing probe
also focuses on whether other contraband - including mobiles and SIM cards
- was also being supplied.
January 13, 2011 Streatham
Guardian
The escape of a dangerous prisoner from a Wimbledon court has sparked an
investigation – as magistrates voiced concerns about security at the
building. Private security firm Serco, which is contracted to escort
prisoners appearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, has said it will
examine how he was able to climb out of the dock to go on the run for 11
days before handing himself in to the police in Battersea on Friday. The
man, who was not handcuffed when he appeared in the locked dock last Monday
after his arrest in Wandsworth, climbed on to a bench before hauling
himself over a plastic wall that supposedly sealed the dock from the rest
of court number one. The escape of the 21-year-old from West Norwood
prompted police appeals, in which the public were told he was dangerous and
should not be approached. He had just been told he was to be kept in
custody for two months before facing three charges of robbery, allegedly
stealing cash and electrical equipment in Merton and Wandsworth last year,
and one of carrying a bladed weapon. One magistrate at the Alexandra Road
court said they heard there was not enough security in the court building
on the day of the escape. They said: “If he was on the loose I would have
to dive under the table.”
May 28, 2010 London
Evening Standard
A CROWN court security officer has been jailed for six years for supplying
defendants in his cells with drugs and mobile phones which they could later
sell in prison. Daniel Birkett, 30, would provide the prisoners with
cannabis, cocaine and pay-as-you-go phones, which they would hide in their
clothes or internally before returning to HMP Wandsworth. Birkett received
up to £150 a time for these exchanges at Blackfriars crown court holding
cells. Inner London crown court heard that mobile phones are a "vital
commodity" in prisons and change hands for up to £500. Inmates use
them to keep up criminality behind bars and potentially to intimidate
witnesses. Drugs can be sold in prison for three times their street value.
Birkett, who worked for security firm Serco, was caught last December after
another security officer found wraps of drugs in a defendant's waistband. A
further search revealed two hollowed batteries concealed in his body
containing 10 more wraps of drugs. All the security staff's lockers were
searched and drugs and a large tub of Vaseline were found in Birkett's
locker, as well as two mobile phones. Birkett, who admitted charges of
conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and to convey a list B article
(the phones), claimed that he was "frightened of the prisoners"
and that they had threatened to hurt his family if he told police or
refused to co-operate. However, Judge Roger Chapple said Birkett, of North
Woolwich, had entered the conspiracy "willfully and for financial
gain".
May 11, 2009 BBC
A prison van driver has been cleared of murdering a woman who was
dancing in front of his vehicle. Andrew Curtis was also cleared of the
manslaughter of Nyaraui Benjamin. Ms Benjamin, described as
"eccentric" and prone to dancing in traffic, was trapped under
the van in Brixton, south-west London, in April 2008. Mr Curtis, 49, told
the Old Bailey that Miss Benjamin's death had been an accident, as he could
not see her after she moved his windscreen wiper. During the trial he said:
"If she was in front of my vehicle, as we now know, I could not see
her and I did not see her." Judge Martin Stephens said it had been a
"most difficult and unusual case" for everyone involved.
May 7, 2009 Hounslow
Guardian
A scarfaced prisoner who escaped from court after duping guards by
telling them he was desperate for the toilet has handed himself in. Roger
Buckingham appeared at Isleworth Crown Court charged with a string of
offences. These included a serious assault and car theft and was warned he
could be jailed if convicted. But soon after appearing in front of a judge,
the 26-year-old fled. He spent less than 24 hours on the run before handing
himself to HMS Wormwood Scrubs yesterday morning and taken back into
custody. On Tuesday Buckingham fooled prison guards by begging them to let
him use the toilet before they left the court, and then escaped on foot at
around 4.20pm. Buckingham faced charges of aggravated vehicle theft, taking
a vehicle without consent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, another
charge of theft and attempting to steal a car, all in February. It is not
known how Buckingham fled from prison guards. Police launched a London wide
appeal for Buckingham, who has three scars across his face and cops warned
members of the public he could be dangerous. A spokesman for Serco, which
transports prisoners to and from court, said: “We can confirm that a
prisoner who was in the care of our court escort service escaped from Isleworth
Crown Court. “We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police and the
court authorities to ensure that this individual is returned to custody as
quickly as possible. “This incident is regrettable and we will conduct a
full investigation into how it occurred.” Serco refused to comment on how
Buckingham gave its guards the slip. A Ministry of Justice spokesman
confirmed it was investigating the circumstances which led to Buckingham’s
escape.
April 29, 2009 Bromley
Times
A PRISON van driver ran over and killed a woman in "a moment of
complete madness" after she started dancing in the street, a court
heard. Andrew Curtis, 49, of The Ridge, Orpington, edged forward into Naomi
Benjamin, 34, until she slipped and fell under the wheels of the vehicle on
April 22 last year. He then drove over her body, twisting her head until
her neck was broken and dragging her 10 metres along the road, jurors were
told at his murder trial at the Old Bailey this week. Horrified witnesses
surrounded the driver and beat on the sides of the van in anger after the
incident in Brixton. Bystander Susan Fraser, giving evidence on Tuesday,
said: "She was in front of the prison van dancing, waving [her] arms
around and shouting. There was a lot of action going on. "The prison
van eventually moved forwards and Naomi moved backwards. The van moved
forwards again and almost touched her. She was obstructing the vehicle, she
was shouting but I couldn't understand any words." She then jumped up
and pulled the passenger windscreen wiper down before tumbling to the
floor. Ms Fraser added: "That was when the prison van escalated. She
fell under the wheel and the van continued moving up the hill and she was
underneath it. I was in shock. "I remained there until she was run
over and I made my way towards the van. "There was an immediate rush
of people towards the van, screaming and shouting at the van to stop.
"It was very nasty. Things got a bit nasty." Curtis, who had
worked for Serco for six years, was transporting prisoners from a court in
Westminster to Brixton prison during rush hour. He had stopped at the
traffic lights outside the KFC in the middle of the three-lane carriageway
heading southbound on Brixton Road. Prosecutor Simon Denison said:
"She was killed suddenly and utterly needlessly by this defendant in a
moment of complete madness. "She slipped and fell in front of the
centre of the van. You may think he must have realised what had happened
but quite incredibly he continued to drive the van forward and he went over
her." The victim was still alive when the first paramedic arrived but
by the time she could be moved from under the vehicle she was dead.
Describing Ms Benjamin, Mr Denison said: "She was well known in the
community, a local character. She was often dressed in brightly coloured
clothes. She was outgoing and a loud person. Unfortunately she was often
drunk." The trial continues.
March 30, 2009 The
Sun
AN arsonist was on the run last night after escaping from jail by clinging
to the underside of a prison van. Frenchman Julien Chautard, 39, was among
ten lags who had just arrived at Pentonville jail. Chautard, who was
starting a seven-year stretch at the North London prison after being
convicted on Friday, crept under the van belonging to security firm Serco
while the others filed into a reception area. A source said: “The van went
into the prison’s secure area, then they unloaded the prisoners. “Normally
as prisoners come off the vehicle and into the building there is somebody
who searches and escorts them — but there wasn’t this time.. “Chautard
didn’t go into the building and the van left. “When the van was checked
afterwards they found foot prints and finger hold marks on the underside.”
January 16, 2009 BBC
A man facing assault and burglary charges who went on the run after a
prison van was stopped by an armed man has been recaptured. Wayne Joseph
Connor, 20, fled when the van was stopped a short distance from Feltham
Young Offenders' Institution in west London on Monday. A Serco van was
forced to pull over by two men, one of them with a shotgun. Police said
Connor was arrested at the Clumber Park Hotel in Worksop, Nottinghamshire.
Shortly after midnight detectives from the Specialist Crime Directorate of
the Metropolitan Police along with officers from Nottinghamshire Police
entered the hotel room and arrested Connor. He had been missing since
Monday when the Serco van was stopped near the Clockhouse Roundabout in
Feltham at about 0730 GMT. Two men, one of them armed with a shotgun,
threatened the security staff before driving off with Connor. He had been
due to appear at Woolwich Crown Court accused of three charges of assault
and three of burglary.
January 12, 2009 BBC
A suspected burglar escaped when an armed man held up a prison van carrying
him to court. The Serco van was forced to pull over and two men wearing
balaclavas smashed the driver's window and threatened him with shotgun.
Prisoner Wayne Connor, 20, was driven away after the raid, a short distance
from Feltham Young Offenders' Institution in west London. No shots were
fired and the driver has been treated for cuts and bruises. Mr Connor has
been charged with racially aggravated burglary and two counts of actual
bodily harm. An unknown number of other offenders were also being
transported, but were secured at the scene, police said. Prisoner transfer
-- Police investigating the raid on Monday morning have cordoned off
several streets near Bedfont Road. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said:
"Local officers and London Ambulance Service attended. "The
driver of the van is believed to have been assaulted. "He was taken by
London Ambulance Service to hospital and is in a stable condition."
The van was driving suspects from Feltham Young Offenders' Institution to
Woolwich Crown Court, said a spokesman for Serco, the private firm
contracted to provide prisoner transfers. Another member of staff was
unhurt during the incident.
December 23, 2008 New
Ham Recorder
A "DANGEROUS" sex offender has escaped from court, prompting a
warning from police not to approach him. Paul Reid, 32, formerly of Haldane
Road, East Ham, is a convicted rapist and burglar. He was sentenced to two
years in jail for indecent assault at Inner London Crown Court last week.
He was at the same court on Monday for an appeal hearing when he escaped
while in the custody of a private security firm which moves prisoners. It
is at least the third time Reid has managed to flee from custody. In
September 2001 he vaulted the dock at Snaresbrook crown Court and made good
his escape through the judge's chambers. He was arrested next day in East
Ham. Two months earlier he was handed a six month sentence for an earlier
escape from Redbridge Court. In July 1997 Reid was caged for six years
after a jury found him guilty of beating and raping a 16-year-old girl in
Ilford Police said Reid is known to frequent the Plaistow neighbourhoods.
He is black, 5ft 10in tall and muscular. He was last seen wearing a black
fleece jacket and blue jeans. A spokesman for private security company
Serco, responsible fro transferring prisoners, said: "This incident is
regrettable and we will conduct a full investigation into how it occurred.
"We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police and the court
authorities to ensure that this individual is returned to custody as
quickly as possible.
October 17, 2008 BBC
A prison van driver has denied murdering a woman who was killed when
she was knocked down by the vehicle in south-west London. Andrew Curtis,
48, from Orpington, south-east London, is charged with the murder of
Nyaraui Benjamin, 34. Ms Benjamin was knocked down and trapped under the
van carrying 11 prisoners in Brixton Road on 22 April. Mr Curtis, who
worked for Serco Court Escort Services, was granted bail by the Old Bailey
to face trial in April.
April 22, 2008 BBC
A woman has died after being trapped under a prison van in south
London, the Metropolitan police have said. The victim, aged about 30, was
hit as the van turned from Acre Lane into Brixton Hill at 1735 BST on
Tuesday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the van has
been arrested in connection with the incident. The vehicle involved was a
Serco van transporting 11 prisoners. All of its passengers were accounted
for and no-one was injured. 'Heartfelt sympathies' The driver is being held
in custody at a south London police station. A Serco spokesman said:
"I can confirm that one of our prison escort vans was involved in a
fatal incident earlier today outside Brixton Town Hall. "We would like
to extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family of the woman who has lost
her life in this tragic accident." The incident is being investigated
by the Met's collision investigation unit.
Scherger
Detention Center
Queensland, Australia
Serco
December 3, 2011 The Age
A QUEENSLAND psychiatrist says the remote Scherger detention centre is
''waiting for disaster'' and ''tragedy is very likely to occur'' because
asylum seekers can't get adequate health services. Dr Bruce Gynther, of the
Cairns health service, told a parliamentary inquiry the psychiatric care
being offered at the former airbase in Weipa, 800 kilometres from Cairns,
was ''really suboptimal''. Detention centres should be close to hospitals,
where sick detainees can be admitted within 24 hours, he said. He also
questioned the need to detain asylum seekers. Afghan Meqdad Hussein, 20,
committed suicide at Scherger in March. Despite the federal government's
recent policy shift to move more boat arrivals out of detention and into
the community, Scherger will expand from housing 320 to 600 asylum seekers,
the private operator Serco said yesterday. The Labor Party will debate
asylum policy at its national conference today, with Labor for Refugees
arguing mandatory detention should be restricted to 90 days. Opposition
immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Dr Gynther had confirmed that the
Scherger centre was compromising mental health services in the community
and indigenous population.
October 24, 2011 The
Cairns Post
A TENSE stand-off remains between Tamil asylum seekers and security guards
at the Scherger Immigration Detention Centre after a fight which resulted
in two detainees and a guard being taken to hospital. A Department of
Immigration spokesman said one of the detainees remained in hospital with
broken teeth and a suspected broken nose. The incident coincides with the
news three more suspected asylum-seeker boats were intercepted off the
northwest Australian coast at the weekend. The department spokesman
confirmed the fight at Scherger, near Weipa, started about 2pm on Saturday.
It lasted for three hours and involved about 100 asylum seekers angry at
the Serco security staff. Ambulances and more security guards were called
in to contain the fight. "The centre was calm by about 5pm," he
said. "We understand the past 24 hours has remained calm, and we will
await a report from Serco this week before making any further
comment." The Refugee Action Coalition is demanding the removal of a
Serco guard alleged to have started the fight. The group’s spokesman Ian
Rintoul said yesterday reports from inside the centre claimed a Serco
officer assaulted the Tamil asylum seeker in the internet room, leaving the
man with several broken teeth and a suspected broken nose. "The
refugees get allotted time slots for the internet use and have cards for
those slots," Mr Rintoul said. "It’s common for the detainees to
swap their slots. "When this guy had tried to go into the internet
room with someone else’s card the guard had assaulted him." Mr Rintoul
also said reports from inside the centre indicated the Serco guard had been
involved in earlier altercations with two other asylum seekers; one Tamil
and one Afghan. "We are extremely concerned that this incident could
become a full-on confrontation," Mr Rintoul said.
July 22, 2011 The
Australian
THE unrest at immigration detention centres has spread to the newest
mainland facility, with asylum-seekers starting a hunger strike at
Scherger. The protest began yesterday at the converted Cape York air force
base near Weipa in Queensland, with 60 Afghan Hazara men refusing to eat.
The flare-up follows two nights of protests at the detention centre on
Christmas Island during which asylum-seekers set buildings and mattresses
on fire. The Australian Federal Police had to be called in to halt the
destruction, using beanbag bullets and teargas. The Australian understands
that 43 of the men demonstrating at Scherger have had their claims for
asylum rejected by the Immigration Merit Review process. Others have been
waiting months for a decision. The men were distressed and desperate, a
friend told The Australian. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said
there was no deadline for the protest to finish. "If there was hope,
nobody would hunger strike," he said. "Life is wasting away
there, and they see Scherger as a dead-end." Ian Rintoul of the
Refugee Action Coalition said many of the men had been in detention for
between 18 and 22 months. The process of reviewing refugee claims was
flawed, he said. "There is no accountability and no transparency, yet
these decision-makers are making life-and-death decisions for the
asylum-seekers and their families." There are 540 detainees held at
the facility, which was originally designed as a six-month stopgap for 300
men. Scherger's capacity has since been increased to 596, and its lifespan
as a detention centre has been extended. A spokesman for the Department of
Immigration and Citizenship said the centre was calm. "We can confirm
that about 50 detainees are sitting peacefully in an outdoor common area of
the Scherger detention centre," the spokesman said. "The
department and the detention services provider (Serco) are engaging with
the detainees, and food and water are available."
Serco
Companies
Use Immigration Crackdown to Turn a Profit: Expose on immigration
by Nina Bernstein at the New York Times, September 28, 2011
Aug 31, 2018
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Three members of staff at Forest Bank arrested as part of investigation
into allegations of theft and fraud
Three members of staff at HMP Forest Bank have been arrested. They were
taken into custody for questioning as part of a police probe into
allegations of theft and fraud. Greater Manchester Police have confirmed
that two men, both aged 39, were arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion
of theft and money laundering. Another man, aged 38, was detained on
suspicion of fraud, theft and money laundering. All three are understood to
work at the Salford prison. They were questioned by police on Wednesday and
have since been released pending further enquiries. A Greater Manchester
Police spokesman said: “At around 7.45am on Wednesday 29 August 2018,
police investigating thefts from HMP Forest Bank arrested three men. “Two
39-year-old men were arrested on suspicion of theft and money laundering. “A
38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud, theft and money
laundering. “The trio have been released under investigation and enquiries
are ongoing.” HMP Forest Bank is a private prison run by Sodexo Justice
Services on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. A spokesperson for the
prison said: “We can confirm three members of staff have been arrested. It
would be inappropriate to comment further while a police investigation is
underway.”
Dec 3, 2017 radionz.co.nz
Detainee's death lifts veil on drug use
A man's death in detention from meth use and fighting has lifted the
veil on mass drug use in a privately-run immigration centre - where
Australia keeps many New Zealanders locked up. The New South Wales coroner
has found Robert Peihopa, 42, died of a heart attack in detention,
triggered by a fight and taking methamphetamine on top of a serious but
unknown heart condition. Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan said the evidence showed
meth and other drugs were widespread at the Villawood centre in Sydney in
April last year when the death occurred. Seven months earlier, a report by
Serco - which runs Villawood and 11 other detention centres under a $200
million-plus contract with the Australian government - had warned that most
detainees in at least one unit were using drugs, many of them
intravenously. It said it was likely they were at risk of a fatal overdose,
and that the risks of "adverse behaviour" were increasing. Though
Serco's intelligence officers knew Mr Peihopa was using drugs, they did not
tell any of the guards who managed him, the coroner said. Australian media
reported that Hera Peihopa, the man's mother, gave a whispered "thank
you" after the coroner laid out her findings yesterday in court.
"I'm glad that everything has been laid out on the table and it's been
looked at and examined and we've got more understanding," she was
later quoted saying. The federal government had delegated its duty of care
to a private operator that "doesn't know what it's doing", said
the Peihopa family's lawyer Duncan Fine. Hera Peihopa had to sit through a
five-day inquest in September and listen to Serco and the Department making
excuses for their failings, he said. Many of the New Zealanders swept up in
the crackdown have been detained at Villawood detention centre near SydneyVillawood
detention centre near Sydney. Robert Peihopa went to Australia from
Auckland at age 17. He had an extensive criminal record with some violent
crimes but mostly driving offences, and was detained in 2015 when his visa
was cancelled on grounds of having bad character. There was no direct
witness to the fight in Villawood, but the findings say it was likely it
involved Mr Peihopa and at least one other detainee, the fight was away
from security cameras, and went on for some time but resulted in superficial
injuries only. Serco said Mr Peihopa collapsed in a "blind spot"
but the coroner rejected this, saying he fell down in full view of the
guardhouse and security cameras straight afterwards, but guards did not get
to him for 17 minutes, though other detainees were trying to lift him up.
The coroner said this was probably because, with two guards managing 60
detainees in that unit, they were "spread too thin". Mr Peihopa's
mother said nobody supervising her son "had the slightest understanding
about what is required to supervise and care for the health and welfare of
detainees". The New Zealand Labour Party has made similar claims
before and, then Opposition leader Andrew Little got a lot of media
coverage when he visited Villawood two years ago. He said at the time
nobody from the New Zealand Government was taking any action to make sure
detainees were being treated properly. Last night, Mr Little's office said
as these issues occurred offshore, it did not expect Mr Little had
ministerial responsibility. In the hours after the death, when the Peihopa
family said they feared foul play, Australia's Immigration Department told
RNZ and other media that it had confirmed there were "no
disturbances" at the centre the night before. But the coroner said it
had no basis to say this because it had not checked out reports of a fight.
The Department in a statement last night accepted the coroner's
recommendations and had taken measures over illegal drugs. It continued to
"work closely" with Serco to care for and keep safe detainees,
staff and visitors. It expressed its condolences to family and friends. The
department did not apologise to the Peihopa family.
Aug 20, 2017 stuff.co.nz
Prisoner allegedly assaulted while at Mt Eden sues Serco for $500,000
The alleged attack on Alex Littleton in which he broke both his legs
was made public in 2015. A former inmate who was allegedly assaulted at Mt
Eden Corrections Facility is suing private prison operator Serco for half a
million dollars, claiming it failed to keep him safe from other prisoners.
Alex Littleton said Serco had allowed a culture of violence to exist at the
remand prison and failed to adequately supervise the inmates housed there.
Littleton said he was bashed by three other prisoners after he refused to help
them arrange for contraband to be smuggled into the prison. He claimed they
punched, kicked and stomped on him and that one of the inmates threatened
to stab with "a shank". Littleton said he escaped onto an upper
floor landing but was then pushed off by one of his attackers, causing a
broken nose and head trauma, and fractures to both his legs. He said after
he was released from hospital Serco failed to provide adequate medical
care. Littleton said prison staff only helped him go to the bathroom once a
day, forcing him to defecate in his bed. The details of the alleged
assaults emerged in a July 7 ruling from the High Court at Auckland on
whether the former inmate should provide security for costs. Serco has not
accepted Littleton's claims, and denies breaching any duty of care in
putting him at risk. The private operator requested he pay security, which
would see Littleton cover Serco's legal costs if his case was rejected.
However Justice Edwin Wylie said Littleton was clearly in no position to
make such payments, and said making such an order would block his attempt
to seek justice. "The imposition of an order for security of costs in
the present case would prevent Mr Littleton from pursuing his case,"
Wylie wrote in his decision. Wylie also ordered Serco to provide additional
documents that were sought by Littleton. "To succeed, he will need to
show that Serco deliberately ran a consciously appreciated risk that he
might be injured as a result of breaches of the duties it owed to
him," Wylie said. "The documents sought by Mr Littleton are both
relevant and necessary for a proper determination of this issue."
Justice Wylie did, however, narrow the scope of the documents requested by
Littleton, which he said in some cases had been too broad. Serco was granted
21 days to file an affidavit listing which of the documents it still holds
in its possession. The case follows repeated concerns about prisoner
assaults at Mt Eden during Serco's tenure, including allegations of
organised fight clubs. Serco ultimately lost its contract to run the prison
after video footage emerged showing prisoners fighting with each other and
sparring with guards. It has already repaid $8 million to Corrections after
the government took back management of Mt Eden halfway through the decade-long
deal. Serco still runs Auckland South Corrections Facility, the prison at
Wiri.
Apr 8, 2017 csindy.com
Colorado Springs' fleet contractor lost money, calls for 22 percent
price increase
In this week's issue of the Independent, we report that then-Mayor
Steve Bach's grand idea to outsource the city's fleet maintenance work to
save money is on a collision course of sorts. Not only has the city not
saved the money it expected so far, but there have been some performance
problems as well. The five-year contract is held by Serco, an international
giant based in the United Kingdom. Serco says it's lost $1.4 million in the
contract's first three years and wants a 22 percent increase in contract
price for 2017, the contract's fourth year. The city isn't obliging, and
Serco filed a lawsuit recently. Serco, it turns out, has had some problems
before. A few examples: In 2006, the Forest Service cancelled a contract.
According to a report on a union website: On May 1, 2006, the Forest
Service terminated for default its Region 5 fleet maintenance contract with
Serco Management Services, Inc. This will affect how the agency's
California fleet, including specialized fire-fighting equipment, will be
serviced. The California fleet maintenance work was originally outsourced
to Serco as part of President Bush's competitive sourcing initiative.
Recently, the Forest Service Washington Office reported that this generated
$1.7 million in estimated savings in fiscal year 2005. However, a Region 5
investigation in early 2006 found that Serco was chronically behind in
accomplishing work, and that shoddy work had placed our employees and the
public in general in unsafe situations. In Sacramento, 14 of 25
Serco-serviced fire engines were removed from service for critical safety issues.
The city of Dallas reported that while it saved more than expected, Serco
had problems meeting the vehicle availability requirements. Serco has only
met the fleet availability requirement for 81 of 171 workdays, or 47% of
the time. After various meetings with Serco, in June 2006, the City had
Serco submit a plan to meet the 90% fleet availability contract
performance. Fleet availability has improved but continual improvement is
needed. While the contract provides for overall fleet availability requirements,
further analysis showed significant differences in the fleet availability
based on the specific types of equipment. Nevertheless, the Sanitation
Department advised us they were satisfied with Serco’s service and that
Serco’s inability to achieve the fleet availability requirements has not
interrupted service to citizens. Both of those cases date back 10 years,
and things could have changed since then. So we asked Serco for a comment
about those contracts and will circle back when we hear something.
Jun 20, 2016 newshub.co.nz
Corrections deploys extra monitors to Serco-run
prison
Private prison operator Serco is back in the
spotlight as it emerges Corrections has deployed extra monitors to the Wiri
prison in south Auckland. Prison monitors are responsible for checking
whether Serco is operating the prison according to the required standards,
and also ensuring the facility is being managed in compliance with New
Zealand legislation. In a statement to Newshub, Corrections northern
regional commissioner Jeanette Burns confirmed there are now extra monitors
at the Auckland South Corrections Facility. "We have deployed an
additional two special monitors," she said. "They are assisting
ASCF management with offender management approaches, as requested by them."
Serco initially refused to confirm extra Corrections staff had been
deployed to the site, but backtracked after being presented with a
statement from the department, which confirmed the move. But prison
director Mike Inglis insisted it did not reflect badly on Serco's
management of the prison. "We review and scrutinise our work regularly
and [ASCF] also operates under a comprehensive monthly reporting
regime," he said. "We have welcomed two additional Corrections
special monitors recently who are working with our management and frontline
staff to deliver this operational excellence." But for Labour's
Corrections spokesperson, Kelvin Davis, the deployment raises further
questions about whether Serco is up to the job of running Kiwi prisons.
"It makes me wonder why the taxpayer -- through Corrections -- is
providing extra help to Serco, who are a private business," he told
Newshub. "If they can't do the job themselves, then they shouldn't be
in the job." Mr Davis suspects the extra monitors were deployed as a
result of issues that have come to light over the past few months,
including claims of beatings, bootleg alcohol and guards taking bribes to
smuggle illicit goods into the prison. "I've heard stories of all
sorts of issues that are going on," he said. "I've raised some
with police; I've raised some in the media, and I've sent those issues on
to the minister. It's just an ongoing story about Serco not being able to
run the show." He believes it raises fresh concerns about whether
inmates are safe in Serco's care. "I do have fears about the safety of
not just the prisoners, but also what's happening to the people who are
working there," he said. "If they have to call in Corrections to
help run the show there must be problems, and safety would be the first concern."
Serco got the boot from managing the Mt Eden Corrections Facility last year
after a string of scandals that caused major embarrassment for the
Government. In a brief statement to Newshub, Corrections Minister Judith
Collins said she has no concerns at this time about Serco's management of
the Wiri prison.
May
7, 2016 theguardian.com
Rainsbrook private youth prison sees rise in use of force and restraint
There is an increasing use of force and restraint to control children
at a privately run youth jail, a snap inspection carried out in the wake of
exposure of serious allegations of abuse at Medway secure training centre
in Kent has revealed. The inspection report into Rainsbrook secure training
centre, near Rugby, published on Friday reveals that 24 “child
safeguarding” allegations have been made in the first three months of this
year. Six have led to external investigations and one member of staff has
been disciplined. The snap joint inspection by Ofsted, the chief inspector
of prisons, and the care quality commission, was ordered after undercover
filming by BBC Panorama revealed serious allegations of abuse and assaults
by staff at the G4S-run Medway secure training centre. The Ministry of
Justice is expected to confirm next week that Medway is to be run by the
public sector. Rainsbrook was taken over on Thursday by the US prison
company MTCnovo. The snap inspection was carried out in March when
Rainsbrook, then also run by G4S, held 61 teenage boys and 13 girls aged 12
to 18. The inspectors said they saw some good examples of staff minimising
potential violence at Rainsbrook, but the number of incidents involving
restraints and use of force had risen to an average of 29 a month compared
to 19 a month at the time of the previous inspection. They said although in
the majority of incidents force had been used appropriately to prevent
injury to young people CCTV footage also showed poor practice including the
use of non-approved techniques and misapplication of holds. They said these
cases were more the result of inexperience rather than malice. They also
said there were insufficient body cameras available to record every
restraint and in some cases staff did not turn on the camera to record
incidents. Senior managers have taken action against some staff on a number
of occasions where body-worn cameras had not been turned on. The inspectors
also found a rising level of assaults by children on staff, with five members
of staff and three children requiring hospital treatment in the previous
six months. The snap inspection in March was the third in the space of 12
months after a disastrous report in February 2015 which revealed young
people had been subject to degrading treatment, racist comments, and being
cared for by staff who were under the influence of illegal drugs. The
latest inspection report concludes that the overall effectiveness of
Rainsbrook is unchanged and still requires improvement. Lin Hinnigan, the chief
executive of the Youth Justice Board, responded to the report saying they
recognised there were issues around staffing and inconsistencies in the way
behaviour management was applied at Rainsbrook. She said: “The inspection
took place during a challenging time as a result of the transition from G4S
to MTCnovo running the centre under a new contract, and in the wake of the
BBC Panorama programme about Medway STC and G4S’s announcement about
selling its UK children’s services business. MTCnovo must now continue to
address the areas for improvement as it runs Rainsbrook STC under the terms
of the new contract and operating model.” Paul Cook, managing director of
G4S children’s services responded to the report: “Recruiting and retaining
staff in what was a period of change proved to be very challenging, but our
focus remained on handing over a centre which puts the futures of young
people at the heart of its operation. I am pleased that inspectors
recognised the good focus on the individual needs of young people and the
work which went into maintaining continuity in the education of those in
our care. “It is also encouraging that we have transferred a centre in
which young people felt safe and were positive about their relationships
with staff, most of whom will continue to provide care under the new
management.” Frances Crook, of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:
“The experiment of secure training centres has been a failure for 20 years.
Nowhere is that more obvious than at Rainsbrook, where, as today’s report
shows, there are major concerns about safeguarding, violence and restraint.
Children are not safe. Crook added: “G4S have lost the Rainsbrook contract
and now MTCnovo are running it instead. As a nation we have to learn that
we cannot keep inventing new ways to lock up children who simply do not
require custody.”
May
12, 2016 stuff.co.nz
Inmates shifted from Serco after home brew, assault incident
Inmates accused of being drunk on home brew and assaulting prison
guards at Wiri have been moved from the Serco jail to the state-run prison
in Paremoremo. The incident at Kohuora, Auckland South Corrections
Facility, on April 30 sparked a clampdown in a wing holding 68 people. Some
inmates who weren't involved in the attack complained of being locked in
their cells for as long as 25 hours at a time. Asked why the state now had
to look after inmates whose care was entrusted to Serco, Corrections
Minister Judith Collins said Kohuora operated under the same classification
rules as all other prisons. "As happens at all sites, if an incident
happens, an event-based reclassification will be carried out on the
prisoner. If this results in a reclassification to maximum security, then
that prisoner is moved to Auckland Prison." Labour corrections
spokesman Kelvin Davis says ongoing debacles have undermined public faith
in Serco jails. Collins said Corrections managed the prison muster across
the entire prison estate, including Kohuora. Labour corrections spokesman
Kelvin Davis said the alleged home brew-fuelled assault and its aftermath
made a "mockery" of the system. "Serco needs to deal with
it, but because they say they all work together, it just enables them to
transfer all the easy guys into Serco, and that boost's Serco's stats.
"If they're so innovative and so good, they should be putting up their
hands and saying 'we're going to take all the hardest guys.'" Davis
said Serco should be more transparent about how incidents such as last
weekend's happened. The company did not say how the home brew was made, or
how it evaded detection. But Serco said its staff performed well in
challenging prisoner behaviour, finding the contraband and taking swift
action to remove it from inmates. "As in any facility, prisoners will
attempt to smuggle or create contraband such as home brew and we have daily
practices in place to stop them." A company spokesperson said staff
frequently checked bins and bags, and recent changes meant inmates could
not use these as containers for fermenting booze. Serco said the assault
happened when staff were carrying out searches at the jail. An inmate's
partner said on Thursday the situation at Kohuora had returned to normal,
after last week's clampdown in which it was claimed some prisoners were
locked up for as long as 25 hours. She said the normalisation was due to
media exposure of the assault and lockdown. A few prisoners threatened to
go on hunger strike before the controlled regime ended last Friday.
May 5, 2016 newstalkzb.co.nz
'Drunk' prisoners attacked guards at Wiri prison, wing in lockdown
UPDATED: 6.25PM Prisoners allegedly drunk on homebrew attacked staff at
the Serco-run Wiri prison on Saturday, and a wing has been in lockdown ever
since. The incident is the latest in a number of high profile incidents
involving Serco, including an $8 million pay out to Corrections after the
government had to step in to manage the Mt Eden facility. Serco today
confirmed information supplied to the Herald from a source within the
Auckland South Corrections Facility on Kiwi Tamaki Drive, The source, who
wished not to be identified in case it compromised prisoners inside the
facility, said an attack on guards took place at the weekend by some
prisoners “high on homebrew” and that others not involved in the attack
have been in lockdown ever since. “Some prisoners attacked the guards and
so they locked the place down of course. They have since taken the culprits
out of wherever it happened, but the people left behind are still getting
locked up and let out for only an hour and locked up for 23 hours,” the source
said. The source said prisoners were now on a hunger strike in protest of
their treatment. A Serco New Zealand spokeswoman today confirmed the
information. “There is currently a controlled regime in a single wing
accommodating 68 prisoners,” said the spokeswoman. “The measure was
temporarily imposed on Monday... for safety and security reasons, and
following a review the regime will return to normal tomorrow. “The regime
was applied after two prisoners allegedly assaulted members of staff on the
wing on Saturday. The incident was reported to police. “The prisoners were
relocated and will be subject to the internal disciplinary process.
Contraband “homebrew” was also discovered in the wing.” The source said
that the prisoners were being locked up for up to 25 hours, and even though
the prisoners were there “for a reason” they still deserved fair treatment
within the jail. “But the 23 hours can actually be in 25 hour or more lots,
say if they are let out at 9am until 10am one day but not let out until 11am
or later the next day. “They are still entitled to certain things. If they
have got the culprits why can’t it go back to normal?” The prison
spokeswoman said under the “controlled regime” prisoners were unlocked for
less time than they would be normally, but prisoners can still attend
visits, work, education, sports and fitness activities. “The safety,
security and wellbeing of staff and prisoners is our first priority.
Assaults are never acceptable and our staff must be able to observe and
challenge prisoners who are acting to undermine the good order of the
prison.” Labour’s Corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis said it was yet
another example of problems with Serco’s operations. “It goes to show that
despite claims to the contrary, that things are happening in Serco that
should not be. The guards were attacked by a couple of prisoners yet a
whole lot of other prisoners have been punished when they had nothing to do
with it. “By all means, punish the people involved, but [punishing others]
does nothing to ease tensions or aid rehabilitation of these prisoners.”
Corrections Minister Judith Collins said she was advised of the incident
today and has spoken with Corrections managers about it. "The regional
commissioner's confirmed that she was satisfied with the way they'd handled
it, as she reminded me these instances happen from time to time in any
prison, but that she was very satisfied with the way Serco had looked after
the matter." Collins said she was advised of the incident today and
has spoken with Corrections managers about it. "The regional
commissioner's confirmed that she was satisfied with the way they'd handled
it, as she reminded me these instances happen from time to time in any
prison, but that she was very satisfied with the way Serco had looked after
the matter." Corrections spokeswoman Jeanette Burns said the agency
was aware of the incident. “This is an operational matter for Serco which
manages Auckland South Corrections Facility, and we are satisfied it has
been handled appropriately.” The incident is the latest in a number of high
profile incidents involving Serco, an international outsourcing group, and
its operation of New Zealand prisons. A judicial review into reports of
Serco’s management of the Mt Eden Correctional Facility is currently underway
after its $300 million, 10-year contract with Corrections was terminated
following reports surfaced on social media of organised fights and
contraband.
Serco took over the management of the Mt Eden remand
prison in 2011 and has now agreed to pay $8 million to cover the costs
associated with the contract ending.
Apr 27, 2016 radionz.co.nz
Australian guards accused of beating New Zealand detainees
Guards in two Australian immigration centres have been accused of
beating up New Zealand detainees. One report claims 50 guards on Christmas
Island armed with batons and shields took on 10 or so detainees who used
wheelie-bin lids as shields to defend themselves. And a 24-year-old New
Zealand citizen being held at a centre in Victoria said guards beat him
after he tried to arrange meetings with a protest hikoi that was visiting
detainees. The accusations come as new figures show New Zealand men now
make up the largest single group being held in immigration detention in
Australia. Convicted armed robber Wayne Hema is locked up at Maribrynong
Detention Centre in Victoria but has been in contact by phone to a detainee
in a compound on Christmas Island about a mass clash there early last week.
"Fifty guards came in with riot shields and clubs to tackle 10 Kiwis,"
he said. "The New Zealanders defended themselves, they broke up
wheelie-bins, the iron bars and wheels from the wheelie-bins to protect
themselves, as well as the lids from the bins as shields to shield
themselves from the blows they were receiving." "Fifty guards
came in with riot shields" - Wayne Hema on Morning Report. Another
Christmas Island detainee sent a message to a relative, who did not want to
be identified, with a one-line plea to tell the media and politicians what
was happening on the remote Indian Ocean island. He said in that message
that 54 emergency response guards ran in and kicked them: "We all have
boot marks to the head". RNZ News was unable to get through to anyone
on Christmas Island and has been told detainees have been warned not to
speak out. Wayne Hema said the clash came after a Middle Eastern refugee
refused to return a razor to prison staff and threatened to cut himself
with it. The New Zealanders there, he said, backed him up and refused to
negotiate with the centre's manager. "It may only be a little thing,
but when you are harassed mentally and physically, that little thing is
like a big win, to stand back and say, 'No, I am doing this ... and you're
not going to take it off me," he said.He said all the men had been
flown to a prison in Perth, and it remained unclear what injuries they had.
Like Wayne Hema, Maueofa Fakauafusi, 24, is detained at Maribrynong, which
like Christmas Island is run for the Australian government by private
prison company Serco. He was jailed for assault then had his visa
cancelled, and described being woken early a fortnight ago, being held in
an interview room for several hours, and then, after repeatedly asking a
guard to use a toilet, actually getting up to go. "I went to walk out.
He shin kicked me while he was sitting down, I tripped up through the
hallway and the security guards basically jumped on me and he's jumped over
and elbowed me in the chin," he said. "They had me against the
wall and he just started ragging on me, just laying into me and threw me on
the ground, stomped on me, and handcuffed me and took me into the
segregation where they continued to strip search me and basically punch me
up." This comes as the latest figures from Australian authorities show
that for the first time New Zealand men now make up the largest single
group being held in indefinite immigration detention - 181 total compared
with 179 Iranian men. Fifteen New Zealand women are also being held. Many
of these people have lived most of their lives in Australian - Maueofa
Fakauafusi since he was six - and those held on criminal grounds have all
served their prison time, while others are held on character grounds. On
Christmas Island the numbers are up 16, to 183 men, since February, and
from 150 last December. Australia's Immigration department refuses to tell
RNZ News how many of these are New Zealanders. Wayne Hema said he had heard
that 30 more detainees were taken to the Christmas Island in the last two
days and Maueofa Fakauafusi said five New Zealanders had been taken there
from Maribrynong in the month he had been there. Filipa Payne tried to
visit Maueofa Fakauafusi as part of a trans-Tasman hikoi she has helped
lead for the past month to protest at detainees' treatment. "From what
we've been told he was beaten up because he'd tried to make contact with
us, for us to come and see him and other people there, so that he could
share with us his story and share what was happening in the detention
centres." Ms Payne said detainees were being prevented from getting
medical treatment and from ready access to lawyers, whose efforts had not
changed anything for them anyway, though some had spent tens of thousands
of dollars on them. Maueofa Fakauafusi said last week guards bashed a
detainee who asked for Panadol. He and that detainee talked about
complaining about their treatment but decided it was no use, that the
authorities would not listen. Wayne Hema described a pressure cooker
situation in the detention centres. He said a few days ago in early morning
room raids, the guards removed all the towels and curtains for seemingly no
reason. In one room the detainee was sleeping naked. "The guards all
ran into the room - 'Get up, get up!' He informed them that he was naked.
They had a female with a camera recording what was happening in the room.
"When he again asked them to leave they said, 'No, get up out of bed
now'. Had he not got up out of bed he would have been beaten." RNZ
News asked Australia's Immigration and Border Protection Department about
these claims and is yet to hear back. Just over three weeks ago New
Zealander Rob Peihopa died in a Villawood detention centre in Sydney.
Authorities said it was a heart attack but detainees and his family suspect
he was beaten up by other detainees. A coronial inquiry continues into that
matter.
Apr 27, 2016 next.ft.com
Flagship London private prison struggles to recruit staff
One of London’s flagship private prisons, HMP Thameside, is struggling
to recruit staff because nearby state-run jails pay significantly more,
according to senior employees. The situation at Thameside, which is run by
Serco, shows the problem the government faces as it tries to increase
private sector involvement in prisons while cutting budgets. Serco pays a
newly recruited prison custody officer just £17,350 a year, which rises to
£21,000 a year, including London weighting. This compares with £24,500 at
nearby public sector run jails, according to senior sources inside the
prison. Serco has run Thameside on a £20m a year contract since it opened
in 2011. After an extension, the Category B jail now houses over 1,200
convicted or remand male inmates. “One of the ways that the private sector
can make savings is to drive down wages. This can be shortsighted because
it can lead to a demoralised workforce and difficulties recruiting staff of
a suitable calibre,” said Richard Garside, director of the centre for Crime
and Justice Studies, an independent research organisation. Serco has
designated some inmates at the prison as “violence reduction
representatives”. Serco, which will run the prison for a further 19 years,
said they found them an effective means of reducing tension and that
prisoners were often more receptive to other inmates. “HMP Thameside is
fully staffed, which shows that we are able attract suitable candidates,”
Serco said. “Recruiting and retaining prison officers in London is
challenging for both the private and public sector and we are keeping our
rates of pay under review to ensure that we can continue to recruit and
retain the right people.” Serco’s recruitment troubles come as David
Cameron, the prime minister, unveils plans for a shakeup of the justice
system billed as the biggest since Victorian times. This includes plans for
nine new out-of-town prisons as well as the creation of six flagship
“reform” prisons, which will aim to develop new methods for cutting
Britain’s high reoffending rates. But MPs have warned that efforts to
improve rehabilitation may be hampered by prison overcrowding and poor
staff morale. Prison staff numbers in England and Wales have declined by
nearly a third since 2010 as a result of the government’s austerity
measures, at the same time as inmate numbers are rising and on track to
reach a record 100,000 by 2019. HMP Thameside is fully staffed, which shows
that we are able attract suitable candidates. The cross-party House of
Commons select committee of MPs said last year that its year-long study had
found that staff cuts meant inmates were confined to their cells for
longer. They warned that at its “most acute… [this had] resulted in
severely restricted regimes [and] are bound to have reduced the consistency
of relationships between officers and prisoners, and in turn affected
safety.” They urged the government to improve “low morale amongst prison
officers and problems of retention of staff across the prison estate”. The
Prison Officers Association, a union, warned that prisons across London and
the south-east are still struggling to find suitable staff because “they
are not renumerated properly for the difficult job they do”. In March,
prison service staff were awarded a 1.36 per cent pay rise, slightly higher
than other public sector workers. Three years ago, the Prison Service was
forced to re-hire more than 2,000 prison officers who had taken voluntary
redundancy to stave off a crisis. Serco runs prisons in Australia and New
Zealand as well as the UK. Earlier this year it won a five-year extension
to a contract with the Western Australian government to operate Acacia
Prison, a 1,400-bed medium security male prison, the largest in Australia.
At the same time it lost work running one of New Zealand’s largest prisons
- Mt Eden in Auckland - following accusations of violence and safety
lapses. Thameside faced criticism when it first opened but its last
official inspection in January 2013 said it had made “considerable
progress”.
Oct
3, 2015 nzherald.co.nz
Jail attack inmate transgender
The
inmate reportedly raped at a privately run men's prison in South Auckland
is transgender. A family spokesperson confirmed to the Herald on Sunday the
inmate was taking hormone pills to become a woman. The transgender
community says the inmate is not getting enough support after the incident
which is alleged to have happened at the privately-run Wiri prison in South
Auckland on Friday morning. The inmate - described by family as having a
"gentle disposition" - is being treated at a prison health unit.
Police and Corrections investigations are underway into the allegations.
Lynda Whitehead, president of transgender support group Agender New Zealand,
said transgender inmates needed better protection. "They are terribly
vulnerable, especially when a male is transitioning to be female,"
Whitehead said.
Aug 23, 2014 theguardian.com
Campaigners
have criticised private firms for using immigration detainees as cheap
labour inside detention centres after research suggested this saves them
millions of pounds. Some detainees said they were being paid as little as
£1 an hour to cook and clean. Home Office figures showed that in May this
year, detainees in centres run bySerco, G4S and other contractors did
nearly 45,000 hours of work for a total of nearly £45,500 in pay. Had they
been paid at the national minimum wage, the cost would have been more than
£280,000. Over 12 months, the figures suggest that the firms – which also
include Mitieand GEO – could have saved more than £2.8m, according to
research group Corporate Watch, which obtained the data, and said firms
were "exploiting their captive migrant workforce". The Home
Office insisted, however, that detainees had a choice whether or not to
work and that inspectors had praised the practice of allowing them to work
while they await removal from the UK. One female detainee, who spent months
in the Yarl's Wood centre in Bedfordshire, where she was employed as a
cleaner, said she believed the detainees were being used to do essential
work in place of staff paid the minimum wage. Another detainee, Ralph
Ojotu, who works as a cleaner in Harmondsworth detention centre, said that
it was hypocritical of the British government to ban him from working to
support his two children in the outside world, but to allow him to be
employed on around £1 an hour in a detention centre run by its contractor
GEO. "We are not allowed to work out there, but in here, they are
handing out jobs like pieces of cake," he said. The figures relate to
seven centres: Yarl's Wood and Colnbrook, which are operated by Serco;
Brook House and Tinsley House, which are run by G4s; and Harmondsworth and
Dungavel, which are managed by American firm GEO. The seventh centre,
Campsfield, is run by Mitie. Two government-run centres, Dover and Morton
Hall, also employ detainees on £1 per hour, potentially saving more than
£1.4m per year. Phil Miller, a researcher at Corporate Watch, said:
"These companies are potentially saving millions of pounds by
exploiting their captive migrant workforce on a grand scale. Our research
has shown that the detention centres would grind to a halt without the
amount of essential work done by detainees on a daily basis – cooking and
cleaning." The status of immigration detainees held in centres while
their cases are decided is distinct from that of convicted prisoners. Yet,
like prison inmates, they do not qualify for the national minimum wage.
They are also barred from any other form of work, yet must pay for
essential goods such as toiletries. The latest financial figures from G4S
in the UK and Ireland show that the company made £122m in pre-tax profit in
2013, while Serco made £106m in the same period. Mitie's accounts show it
made £127.5m in the 12 months to June 2014, while GEO's US-based parent,
GEO Group Inc, reported £184m in pre-tax profit. On behalf of the firms, a
Home Office spokesman said: "The long-standing practice of offering
paid work to detainees has been praised by Her Majesty's inspectorate of
prisons as it helps to keep them occupied whilst their removal is being
arranged. Whether or not they wish to participate is entirely up to the
detainees themselves. This practice is not intended to substitute the work of
trained staff." Wyn Jones, of Serco, said the paid work was voluntary
and in accordance with Home Office rules. He added: "It is offered to
residents alongside other constructive activities to help reduce boredom
and improve mental health and, if not conducted, would have no effect on
the running of the [centres]. Serco refutes any implication that we use
residents to conduct work in place of officers or staff at any of the IRCs
that we manage and thereby increase profits."
Aug
21, 2014 thejournal.co.uk
NAPO
Northumbria branch chairman Mike Quinn said staff cuts at the jail, run by
private firm Sodexo, have led to a "violent culture" Probation
officers are fearful of paying visits to a North East prison where cutting
officers by more than a third has led to a “violent culture”, it has been
claimed. Mike Quinn, vice chairman of the Northumbria branch of NAPO, spoke
out about HMP Northumberland after a prison officer was hospitalised by an
inmate on August 9. He described the Category C jail as “like a tinderbox”
and claims cash is being exchanged for prisoner assaults. It has been
revealed how staff numbers at HMP Northumberland fell from 441 to 270 from
2010 to 2013 - a drop of 39%. Mr Quinn said: “We are becoming increasingly
alarmed at reports about conditions at HMP Northumberland. “Members report
to me that the atmosphere within the prison is tense and are concerned that
if an incident were to take place that there would simply not be the staff
to deal with it.” It comes as Eoin McLennan Murray, president of the Prison
Governors Association, revealed Justice Secretary Chris Grayling’s
austerity drive is making it impossible to run a jail safely. He said this
week: “We haven’t been able to recruit the numbers we need.” Private firm
Sodexo took over the running of the jail in December 2013, after HMP
Acklington and HMP Castington merged two years before. Mr Quinn added:
“Worryingly, we’ve learnt that money may be changing hands between
prisoners in order for assaults to be undertaken between prisoners. This
will result in not only danger to prisoners, but also the staff employed at
the prison. “Prisoners are reporting to our members that they’re submitting
applications to see healthcare professionals, to access education
opportunities or to attend rehabilitative programmes, only to not hear
back.” Sean Dempsey/PA WireJustice Secretary Chris GraylingJustice
Secretary Chris Grayling The union boss accused Chris Grayling of
“destroying any hopes of rehabilitation” with cuts. He said: “Just a
fortnight ago we saw a prison officer hospitalised having been attacked by
a prisoner. But our concerns extend further than this, if the prison is
truly to release people back into the community having learnt something
from their time in prison, then Sodexo need to invest the right resources.
“For us, that’s the overriding concern. Businesses taking over
organisations such as prisons, and soon the probation service, have a
primary aim of making money for their shareholders.” A Sodexo Justice
Services spokesperson said: “Staffing levels for prison visits have
remained unchanged since Sodexo took over the contract and the number of
prisoners attending daily appointments has improved. “We monitor incidents
in the prison very closely, and there is no evidence of any change in levels
of violent behaviour. “We review staffing levels at all our prisons on a
regular basis and will continue to monitor them at HMP Northumberland.” The
spokesman added: “We can confirm an employee at HMP Northumberland was
injured during an incident with a prisoner on Saturday August 9.” Sir Alan
Beith, Lib Dem MP for Berwick, said: “I have raised with ministers on
several occasions my concerns that the staffing levels at HMP
Northumberland may not be adequate to maintain a safe prison and achieve
effective resettlement, and I will continue to raise these concerns.”
Labour peer Jeremy Beecham added: “Staffing at the jail was cut by a third.
“Chris Grayling is in denial about the extent of this problem and this is
reflected clearly at HMP Northumberland. “Staffing is becoming a widespread
problem. Not only in private prisons, all have taken a big hit and it is
all part and parcel of an approach which ignores the reality. “You can’t
cope with the situation without adequate, trained staff.”
Aug
10, 2014 thisismoney.co.uk
Serco,
the troubled outsourcing giant being probed by the Serious Fraud Office, is
set to plunge into the red and is believed to be poised to ask investors
for hundreds of millions of pounds. Investment bank Numis believes profits
have nosedived from £106million in the first half of 2013 to a loss of
£11million over the same period this year. The City expects Serco will need
to raise up to 375million from shareholders in a rights issue, though this
is likely to come next year after a strategic review of the company has
been completed. Profits collapse: The Government suspended new contracts to
Serco and rival G4S after a scandal relating to the electronic tagging of
criminals +1. Profits collapse: The Government suspended new contracts to
Serco and rival G4S after a scandal relating to the electronic tagging of
criminals Recently-installed chief executive Rupert Soames, a grandson of
Sir Winston Churchill, will on Tuesday explain to investors that there has
been a catastrophic collapse in profits since the Government suspended the
awarding of new contracts to Serco and its rival G4S for six months after a
scandal relating to the electronic tagging of criminals. The Government had
accused Serco of charging for tagging people who were either already in
jail or dead. More... Insurance giant Prudential takes a profits hit as
sterling gains strength Cineworld profits hit £20m thanks to The Lego Movie
success and Cinema City merger SERCO SHARES: Check the latest price here
Serco has agreed to refund the Government more than £70million. The company
has also agreed to repay £2million in past profits on a prisoner escort
contract after it was found to have claimed that it had delivered
defendants ‘ready for court’ when it had actually failed to do so. The controversies
led to the departure of Serco’s chief executive Chris Hyman, who was
replaced by Soames, who joined from power company Aggreko. Major contracts
to run the Docklands Light Railway and Westminster City Council have
already been lost. But there are also fears that it could lose its
£275million annual contract for operating Australia’s immigration detention
centres. It recently lost the contract to provide support for Australia’s
defence forces after 15 years. Soames has warned that Serco is likely to
lose millions on some contracts – including those related to asylum seekers
and healthcare. Serco’s share price has plunged by nearly 50 per cent this
year to leave the company with a value of £1.6billion.
May
10, 2014 newint.org/blog
Frustration
and despair has tipped over into protests inside detention centres across
Britain over the past week, with migrants going on hunger strike and
staging sit-down protests. Four of Britain’s 10 detention centres –
Harmondsworth, Colnbrook, Brook House and Campsfield House – have
seen peaceful rebellions against poor conditions and imprisonment without
charge since Friday 2 May.
At
the time of going to press, migrants were still refusing food in both
Harmondsworth in Middlesex, Britain’s largest migrant prison, and Campsfield
House in Oxfordshire. ‘We’re up against the wall,’ said Musawar Khan, a
Pakistani man speaking from Campsfield House, where 50 detainees went on
hunger strike on 7 May. Married to a British woman, the 27-year-old has
spent nearly six months locked up behind 10-foot razor wire. ‘We want to
close all detention centres – they go against human rights. We want our
freedom’, he said in summary of the group’s demands. Khan says detainees
were riled by the abusive treatment of an Afghan man who Home Office staff
were bullying into signing a voluntary return form, with the collusion of
MITIE staff, a private company subcontracted to run the centre. But it was
the news of the protest at Harmondsworth, which tipped them into action.
Over 150 detainees in Britain’s largest detention centre kicked off the
wave of protest on Friday 2 May. Migrants here focused on Britain’s asylum
‘Fast Track’, which imprisons people seeking asylum on arrival while their
claims are heard and refuses 99 per cent of applicants. Demonstrators
lifted an initial hunger strike on Tuesday 6 May after a meeting was
promised with the Home Office but 200 people renewed the fast on 9 May when
this did not materialize. ‘Instead, everyone who signed the letter [of
demands] was called in by officials to be given refusals for their asylum
applications, issued with flights home or intimidated,’ said Jasmine Sallis
from the Glasgow Unity Centre, who is in touch with detainees. She relates
how organizers are doing their best to communicate across many different
language groups. They are also in contact with detainees at neighbouring
Colnbook centre. Here SERCO guards broke up a meeting and put five
‘ringleaders’ into solitary confinement. Strikers were dispersed to other
detention centres. Elsewhere in Britain, in Brook House, near Gatwick
Airport, it is reported that an estimated 20 detainees gathered in the
courtyard and refused to return to their wings overnight. Guards responding
by placing 16 people in solitary. The Unity Centre reports that detainees
here were in fact demanding to be sent home – driven to despair by
Britain’s policy of indefinite detention. Hunger strike is one of the few
means to protest available to detainees, around 85 per cent of whom are
suffering from clinical depression. Self harm is often a grim barometer of
emotional stress brought on by imprisonment – over 300 people required
treatment for self-harm in Britain in 2013. Supporters have held
demonstrations outside detention centres in solidarity with the protesters.
‘The way people are being treated at the moment is not sustainable,’ said
Kathryn Hayward from Oxford Migrant Solidarity, who visited Campsfield on
Thursday 8 May. ‘This is not an isolated thing. We are likely to see more
protests like these with legal aid cuts coming into force and new detention
centres opening. You can’t keep treating people like this.’ Detention of
migrants has reached epidemic proportions in the West over the past decade.
Britain saw a 12-fold increase in the last 10 years, with capacity climbing
from 250 to 4,500. Nearly 30,000 migrants were imprisoned 2012-13.
Jan
25, 2014 abc.net.au
The
State Opposition has accused the government of trying to cover up its
dealings with private contracting firm Serco by not ordering an independent
inquiry into its performance in WA. The company, which has a custodial
management contract with the State Government and detention centre
contracts with the Federal Government, has been criticised for a number of
prisoner escapes in recent weeks. The Prison Officers Union, Police Union
and WA Labor have all added their voice to calls for an independent inquiry
into the company. Opposition spokesman for Corrective Services, Paul
Papalia, says news that Serco's Australia Pacific chief executive has also
welcomed an independent inquiry, makes the state government look like it
has something to hide. "The Barnett Government has apparently signed
up to a very poor contract with Serco for the provision of prisoner
transport services, and it looks like they are trying to cover up their own
failures," Mr Papalia said. "They need to have an open,
independent inquiry." The Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis
will not be commenting on the issue.
Dec
14, 2013 independent.co.uk
Under-fire
Government contractor Serco has proved it is “good at bidding but not at
delivery” after withdrawing from an out-of-hours GP contract in Cornwall,
according to one of Westminster’s most powerful MPs. For months
former minister Margaret Hodge has questioned Serco’s management of this contract
after it was revealed that the company was fiddling figures to meet key
performance targets. Serco staff had claimed that every emergency caller
received a face-to-face meeting within 60 minutes when one-in-four did not.
However, this controversy was largely missed in the furore which was caused
by the group’s involvement in the electronic-tagging scandal. A report from
the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which the Labour MP for Barking
chairs, said earlier this year that Serco was guilty of “inhibiting staff
from revealing the facts about out-of-hours service to patients”. On
Friday, Serco took a £17m hit on its clinical-health operations, which
included early termination of the Cornwall deal and a write-down of the
value of community-care work in Suffolk – also the subject of a PAC probe.
In addition, Serco ended a contract to manage Braintree Hospital in Essex.
Mrs Hodge told The Independent: “Serco has been desperate to build a
presence in the healthcare market by undercutting [bids on] contracts at a
cost to the taxpayer and a loss of service. “It’s pointless being good at
getting contracts and then hopeless at delivering the services,” she added.
Serco said that it had decided to end the contract early in May 2015 and
would include estimated future losses in that deal of £5m in this year’s
accounts. Mrs Hodge said that she was “shocked” that the terms of the
contract had meant Serco could easily jump but was almost impossible to
push. The results of the review came at the end of yet another tumultuous week
for Serco. Just 24 hours earlier, the Government had finally ended Serco
and G4S’s involvement in the electronic tagging of people in custody. The
summer’s revelations that the two companies had overcharged the taxpayer by
claiming to have tagged criminals who were in custody, abroad or even dead
has led from Serco’s very quick fall from grace. Once a member of the elite
club of Britain’s 100 listed companies, it is now in the FTSE 250.
Dec
2, 2013 bbc.co.uk
HMP
Northumberland taken over by private firm Sodexo. The prison has a capacity
for 1,300 inmates. A 40-year-old prison with more than 1,300 inmates has
been taken over by a private firm. HMP Northumberland, in Acklington, has
been taken over from the government by Sodexo Justices Service. The firm has
a 15-year contract and claimed it would save the taxpayer £129m a year by
cutting 200 jobs. But the Prison Officers' Association (POA) said officers
posts could result in "escapes and riots". HMP Northumberland was
formed by the merger of Castington and Acklington jails in 2011, but the
prison building was built 40 years ago. It is a Category C jail for inmates
- including vulnerable sex offenders - who cannot be trusted in open
conditions but who are not thought to be capable of trying to escape. Joe Simpson,
spokesman for the POA, said he believed reducing staff by 200 to 380 could
lead to attempted break-outs. He said: "We're talking about prison
staff who are going to go away from the supervision of prisoners. There
could be a riot and someone escaping - that's the worst case
scenario." Barbara King, who lives in nearby Acklingham village, said
she was concerned about security at the jail. Acklington village resident
Barbara King is worried about security at the jail. She said: "How are
they now going to control these prisoners - if they are going to reduce the
staff - who is going to supervise the prisoners? "We've got an elderly
population in the village - it doesn't really bear thinking about the
repercussions of reducing staffing levels." Sodexo Justice Services
said it had run prisons for more than 20 years in the UK. A company
spokesman said reducing staff would "in no way compromise
security" or the efficient running of the prison. He said the firm was
confident of running a secure prison with a regime that "promotes
rehabilitation". There is more on the story on Sunday Politics in the
North East And Cumbria on BBC1 at 11:00 GMT.
Nov
22, 2013 morningstaronline.co.uk
Justice
Secretary Chris Grayling was forced yesterday to cancel bids by notorious
security privateer Serco to run three prisons. He blamed
"uncertainty" created by an investigation into Serco's public
contracts following allegations of fraud, putting a stop to bids for
Hatfield, Moorland and Lindholme prisons. Prison officers welcomed the
decision, which will keep the jails public, but called for further action.
"Public prisons can be run efficiently and effectively on behalf of
society," POA union general secretary Steve Gillan said. "We will
continue to campaign on behalf of two public prisons which have been
privatised - HMP Birmingham and HMP Northumberland - in order to secure
their return to the public sector." The Serious Fraud Office has begun
a criminal investigation into the firm after it was alleged to have
overcharged the government for electronically tagging offenders, some of
whom were found to be back in prison, dead or abroad. Serco and fellow
privateer G4S have been barred from new contracts pending a wider review.
But Howard League for Penal Reform chief executive Frances Crook said
private companies should be kept out of prisons entirely. "Running
prisons for profit means these multinationals cash in on others' misery,
making more money out of increased levels of crime and a greater number of
people being held in overcrowded cells," she said. "Grayling
should go further and continue to reverse the justice privatisation tide
currently being witnessed across the country. "Private firms are often
much better at winning lucrative contracts than delivering the goods."
The cancellation of the prison bids followed claims that a Serco-run pilot
for Mr Grayling's push to privatise probation had failed massively. Its
involvement in the community payback schemes in London - a precursor to
Con-Dem plans to sell off most of the probation service. Staff cuts and
shortages have caused significant problems, affecting court cases. The
Ministry of Justice said there had been "bedding-in issues" but
insisted that public safety "has not been compromised." Probation
officers said that was rubbish, with the sell-off likely to threaten public
safety while privateers cream off money from the most profitable parts of
the service. Members of probation union Napo walked out on strike against
the plans earlier this month. Napo has promised more action if its concerns
are not met. National chairman Tom Rendon said probation officers in London
were "finding it increasingly hard to enforce justice" because
information supplied by Serco was "incomplete or it's late, or it's of
dubious quality." The government had taken the lowest bid, he
suggested, "and now the cracks are really starting to show." Napo
general secretary Ian Lawrence told the Star that the rejection of Serco's
prison bids had "filled probation officers with a lot of hope"
that the trend will continue into the probation service.
15 February 2013 pulsetoday.co.uk
The private out-of-hours provider Serco has received
another warning from the Care Quality Commission about staffing problems
with its service for NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The CQC conducted a
surprise inspection in December to check on whether previous staffing
problems had been addressed at the Truro-based out of hours service. The
commission found that there was a shortage of healthcare assistants on duty
and Serco did not have enough staff to answer phone calls. Last year the
service was told by the CQC that it had to improve the standard of its
services and have a minimum of three GPs per shift. In May 2012 it was
found that the OOH service had only one GP on call to cover more than
500,000 people after the other GP was taken ill. The company made an
undertaking to increase the pool of GPs and said it was confident it would
be able to meet the needs of the service. When CQC inspectors made an
unannounced visit in December to check on whether action had been taken,
they found the service was now compliant with four of the five essential
standards for which they had previously been found deficient. However, the
inspection revealed that there were still ongoing staffing problems, with
not enough health care advisors (HCAs) employed to handle calls to the
service. One in four calls were not being answered within the minimum time
of 60 seconds and 12% of ‘urgent’ patients were not having a clinical
assessment started within the benchmark time of 20 minutes. The HCAs said
staff shortages meant they had to work under stress and for up to seven
hours without a break. The number of GPs employed by the service had increased
since the last inspection but a shift manager said that there were still
shortages. Inspectors found that one car was not covered and a number of
clinics in the county had doctors working their shift partly in cars and
partly based at a clinic. There was no GP on duty at the call centre, but
Serco said a GP did not necessarily need to be based at the call centre and
could be on call. The service said it was now using a ‘wider skill mix’
including nurse advisers and nurse practitioners to provide after hours
care, and GPs’ time was used more effectively by having them take telephone
calls at their clinics, when call numbers were high. The CQC says it has
told Serco to report by 27 February on what action they will take to meet
the standards and the commission will check to make sure that action is
taken. A spokesman for Serco said it welcomed CQC inspection report, which
it said showed the improvement made over the past months. ‘The CQC …
recognised that the number of clinical staff, particularly GPs, employed by
the service in Cornwall has increased. They have also said that we need to
further increase the number of HCAs in order to meet people’s needs and to
meet the specific National Quality Requirement for call handling times and
we fully accept this. We have a recruitment campaign under way and will
have more advisors on the team by the end of February. ‘All our team in
Truro have worked extremely hard to achieve this progress and I have
complete confidence that we have everything needed to provide a high
quality service for patients in Cornwall in 2013,’ said Dr Louis Warren,
who manages the service. This article has been altered to reflect that the
CQC found a shortage of healthcare assistants, and not GPs, in their
December inspection as previously stated.
September 9, 2012 The Guardian
Home Office ministers have ordered weekly reports on the progress of two
new contracts with the private security companies G4S and Serco to house
and provide support services for thousands of asylum seekers and their
families. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), Rob Whiteman,
has confirmed that serious concerns about the ability of the two companies
to find housing for thousands of asylum seekers across the north of England
by November has led to closer monitoring at the most senior levels of the
Home Office. The £883m a year Compass contract to provide support services
for dispersed asylum seekers is the largest project run by the Home Office.
The two private security companies took over the five-year asylum housing
contracts in four of the six UKBA regions across Britain from social
landlords, including councils, in March. The companies were expected to
start moving people in June. But after a contractual dispute G4S dropped
its housing subcontractor for the Yorkshire and Humberside region, United
Property Management, in June and its new subcontractors have yet to find
enough homes. Two councils, Sheffield and Kirklees, have raised concerns
about their ability to deliver the housing contract within the expected
timetable. Kirklees council said that a fortnight ago, only one family out
of 240 asylum seekers had been moved as part of the transition from the
council to the new providers. "There are 240 asylum seekers being
assisted. We understand the subcontractors are finding it difficult to
procure accommodation and the council has been asked to continue to provide
assistance until the end of October. There is no suggestion however that
the council's contract will be renewed after this time," Whiteman has
told the Commons public accounts committee there were also concerns about
the two Serco contracts, one covering north-west England and the other
Scotland and Northern Ireland, including the "speed at which
properties are being acquired". He said the issue had been
"escalated" to directly involve himself and Jeremy Oppenheim, the
UKBA director of immigration and settlement. Weekly reports are also being
sent to ministers. "It is not at this stage anywhere near penalties
because they are acting within the contract in terms of how the work is
handed over to them," Whiteman told MPs. "We do have concerns
about mobilisation. We are escalating this and I have been involved in
meetings on that but it is at a relatively early stage." He added
there were other remedies available under the contracts but he hoped the
difficulties would be resolved.
August 17, 2012 Radio New Zealand
New Zealand's only private prison operator, Serco, has been hit with
another $150,000 fine for letting a second inmate escape. Graham Hay, an
inmate at Auckland's Mt Eden Prison, spent 30 minutes on the run after
undergoing an eye procedure at the Greenlane Clinical Centre in early June.
An official report has found a non-standard pair of handcuffs was used to
lock Hay to one of two guards escorting him to the appointment. The
larger-than-usual cuffs slipped off Hay's wrist, allowing him to escape
before he was caught by a police dog. The report says the incorrect
handcuffs were used because prison officers had not properly checked the
equipment beforehand. None of Serco's staff have been sacked as a result,
although managing director Paul Mahoney says it has issued written warnings
to some staff. The company has been ordered to make operational changes.
Last year, Serco was fined $150,000 following the escape of inmate Aaron
Forden. The Corrections Department is in charge of overseeing Serco's $300
million contract with the New Zealand Government. Deputy chief executive
Christine Stevenson says Hay's escape was avoidable and the fine is warranted.
July 17, 2012 GP
Private provider Serco Ltd has been ordered to improve out-of-hours
services it runs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly after a report by the
Care Quality Commission (CQC) found they failed to meet quality and safety
standards. CQC inspectors visited the head office of Serco Ltd in April
after patients raised concerns about the service. Following its
investigation, the CQC issued a report stating that the provider was
failing to meet four essential quality and safety standards. The report
said Serco had failed to employ enough skilled staff to meet the needs of
patients and that staff often worked long hours. A CQC inspection revealed
that seven GPs were working for up to 13 hours a day, some from 8am until
7pm and others from 7pm until 8am. The CQC found that the shortage of
doctors had resulted in an increased number of complaints to the PCT
regarding the service. The report also found that Serco had failed to
protect patients by not training all staff in safeguarding protocols and not
making locum GPs aware of local protocols. When the CQC asked staff members
about statutory staff training, they were told it was a bit ‘hit and miss’.
In addition to these concerns, Serco also failed to put an effective system
in place to monitor the quality of service that patients received, the CQC
said. Responding to the CQC report, managing director of Serco’s clinical
services Paul Forden said: ‘We can confirm that we have already implemented
actions to ensure that three of the four areas have made progress and we
consider that we have achieved the required standards. ‘On the fourth
recommendation on training we are 92% compliant today and will fully meet
the requirement within the next month. ‘We are confident that we will be
able to fully satisfy the CQC that we are meeting all of the standards
required when they next visit the service.’
July 5, 2012 Stuff
Private prison operator Serco has failed to meet half of its performance targets
since taking over Auckland's Mt Eden Prison. A report card on Serco's
performance released today reveals three inmates were wrongly released, one
escaped and there were three wrongful detentions. The percentage of
sentenced prisoners with an appropriate plan in place within required
timeframes was only 28 per cent - two thirds lower than the 90 per cent
target. Of 37 targets Serco was to meet in the nine months to April half
weren't met. Corrections said Serco had accepted responsibility for one wrongful
release. To date the final decision on whether they'd be fined on a second
wrongful release had not been made, and discussions between both parties
about whether they'd followed correct operational processes were ongoing.
Corrections are to issue a performance notice for a third wrongful release
that occurred in March. During its first quarter running the prison Serco
was fined $150,000 after prisoner Aaron Forden escaped in February. Forden,
dubbed "Houdini" escaped along with another inmate who was caught
almost immediately. The firm was also fined $25,000 for releasing one
inmate early and $50,000 for failing to file progress reports. Escapes and
wrongful releases are listed as zero targets.
June 6, 2012 Auckland Now
Private prison operator Serco could be slapped with its second $150,000
fine this year after a prisoner escaped after getting his eyes checked on
Sunday. A Mt Eden prisoner spent 30 minutes on the run after escaping while
being escorted from the Greenlane Clinical Centre. The police dog unit and
prison duty staff found him hiding in a garden shed at a property in Claude
Rd, about 600 metres from the clinic. Auckland District Health Board
spokesman Mark Fenwick said the prisoner escaped while being escorted back
to the vehicle after receiving his treatment. The man is back in prison and
faces charges of escaping custody. Serco, who are contracted by Corrections
to manage the prison, would not comment on how the prisoner escaped. An
internal inquiry is underway. Under Serco's contract with Corrections they
can be fined $150,000 every time a prisoner escapes. They were fined in
February after serial escaper Aaron Forden fled the prison after breaking
into a service way in October, 2011.
April 27, 2012 New Zealand Herald
Private prison operators Serco have failed to meet several key performance
measures since taking over running the Mt Eden Corrections Facility, a
Corrections Department report shows. The report, released under the
Official Information Act, shows two wrongful releases and one wrongful
imprisonment in the eight months since the Mt Eden facility was handed to
the British-based company. It was fined $150,000 when Aaron Stephen Forden,
a prisoner dubbed "Houdini", escaped earlier this year. All of
the incidents are listed as zero tolerance areas under Corrections
Departments standards. Corrections chief executive Ray Smith told Radio New
Zealand Serco's failure to meet several performance measures was "less
than we expect". "We have been actively working with Serco to
ensure that improvements are achieved." Other results showed an 82 per
cent completion rate on random drug tests at the facility - 17 per cent
short of the standard required. Targets for prisoner management plans and
telephone call monitoring were not reached. However, random drug testing
showed only a three per cent return of positive samples. The Public Service
Association said the results showed the failure of privatising prisons.
National Secretary Richard Wagstaff said Serco had jeopardised public
safety by allowing wrongful releases and escapes. "The department may
be trying to write these off as 'teething problems' but they are no such
thing - these are core procedures that should be right from the start.
"This report shows Serco is failing in its number one priority - to
keep the public safe." Mr Wagstaff said the report showed the
"folly" of opening another private prison at Wiri.
April 27, 2012 Scoop
National’s prison privatisation plan needs serious rethinking after failing
to meet basic performance requirements at Mt Eden prison, Labour says.
Labour’s Justice Sector Spokesperson Charles Chauvel says that the
Government’s plans to privatise up to a quarter of New Zealand’s prison
capacity will worsen the already dangerous failure to meet requirements.
“Figures out today reveal worrying trends in Serco’s management of the Mt
Eden Corrections Facility over the last eight months “Of particular concern
are failures to meet drug testing and offender management plan targets,
wrongful releases, and an escape from custody. “Coincidentally I visited Mt
Eden yesterday, as well as the state-run Paremoremo and Auckland Women’s
prisons. “While there is much positive work being done by the staff at each
of them, one of the obvious realities is that a level playing field does not
operate between the public and private sectors. Many of the state-run
institutions have to cope with legacy facilities and procedures, which
Serco is unburdened by. “In light of that – and especially since, under
National Serco’s slice of the corrections pie will double once the new Wiri
Prison is built next year, and up to a quarter of all inmates in the system
will be under their control – the public has a right to expect Serco’s
performance targets to be met.
March 1, 2012 STV
Scotland's first private prison has been criticised by inspectors for the
"limited" activities provided for inmates. HM Chief Inspector of
Prisons Brigadier Hugh Monro has now called for improvements in the work
and education programmes at HMP Kilmarnock. He also called for the overall
standard of healthcare at the facility to be reviewed. The latest
inspection report claimed out-of-cell activities at the jail were
"limited and lack stimulation". It said "too few
prisoners" attended the workshops, and that "too few prisoners
also attend education and the educational facility is under-utilised".
The report complained that "large numbers of prisoners are not engaged
in purposeful activity". It also stated that access to activities was
not good enough, with only 40% of prisoners out of the house blocks during
the day. Just 200 prisoners were taking part in work during the latest
inspection, and Brig Monro said: "I was not satisfied that the quality
of work was sufficiently good. In some workshops some prisoners have no
work to do and spend much of the time drinking tea or watching other
prisoners who do have work allocated to them." Brig Monro recommended
that access to work, vocational training and education at the jail is
improved, and the quality of education and work should also be better. The
report described the education programme as "limited and
under-developed". It added: "Low numbers of prisoners access
education programmes. A total of 139 prisoners out of a prison population
of approximately 640 regularly attend education classes. This represents
only 22% of the prison population." Brig Monro accepted there were
"good points in the prison's healthcare provision, not least the
mental health area, smoking cessation, dental treatment and alcohol
programme".
November 23, 2011 The
Age
THE multinational company that runs Australia's immigration detention
network has been fined $15 million for failing in its duty of care to
asylum seekers and underperformance . The immigration department has told a
federal parliamentary inquiry it had docked $14.8 million from monthly
payments to SERCO between March 2010 and June 2011 because of poor
management of the detention centres, and docked another $215,000 from
SERCO's contract to run immigration housing centres. SERCO was paid $375
million to run immigration centres last year, and $101 million in the three
months to October 2011. The secretive contract the federal government
signed with SERCO withholds payment for audited ''abatements'' each month.
Escapes, failure to secure perimeter fences, not providing activities or
reporting major incidents, not giving access to visitors, interpreters or
legal representatives, poor building conditions and food safety can trigger
fee reductions. The penalty is limited by the contract to 5 per cent of
SERCO's monthly fee. The $15 million fine, revealed in written submissions
to the inquiry, is therefore near the upper limit of what the Immigration
Department would have been contractually able to penalise SERCO in a period
plagued by riots, fires, suicides and escalating detainee self harm.
November 18, 2011 AAP
SECURITY company Serco has been asked to explain why a refugee was locked
in isolation after he suffered an electric shock while scaling a fence at a
Darwin detention centre. The Joint Select Committee on Australia's
Immigration Detention Network is conducting an extensive inquiry into the
effect of detention on detainees, in the wake of a series of detention
centre riots. Serco, which has a contract with the federal government to
run the centres, was questioned today over a refugee being locked in a room
by guards for more than an hour, after he suffered an electric shock while
climbing a fence at Darwin's Northern Immigration Detention Centre on
November 15. The man, who was declared a refugee a year ago and was
awaiting security clearance, was reportedly attempting to see friends in
another compound, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young told the inquiry in
Melbourne. Ms Hanson-Young said he was only taken to hospital after he
collapsed, then was again locked up in isolation after he returned.
"In this scenario, which is a real scenario, who made the decision
that this man was to be locked up on his own?" Senator Hanson-Young
asked Serco managing director Chris Manning. Mr Manning told her he would
look into the incident and report back to the committee on his findings.
Senator Hanson-Young also asked him about concerns raised in a recent
report by health and safety authority Comcare over underqualified staff
working at immigration detention centres. "You don't have a client to
staff ratio," she said of the contract the security firm has with the
government. Mr Manning told her staffing levels were reviewed regularly.
"They are based on a number of factors ... if there are safety issues
then we would take a view on whether more staff were required," he
said.
October 16, 2011 BBC
More than 25,000 cab journeys have taken place since August, Serco said.
The Ministry of Justice has admitted a private security firm is using black
cabs to take prison inmates to court. The firm, Serco, has a seven-year
deal - with a further three-year option - worth up to £420m. But the
company has been forced to transport inmates in London and east England in
cabs after their computerised booking system failed. Conservative MP
Patrick Mercer said he would raise the issue with Home Secretary Theresa
May. 'Extraordinarily expensive' -- Mr Mercer said he was worried about the
cost of hiring cabs, and the perception defendants were being driven around
in luxury. "I just think it is ridiculous that a security company such
as Serco misjudges things so badly that prisoners are moved to and fro in
black taxis," he said.
October 10, 2011 3
News
Private prison operator SERCO faces a $150,000 fine after the man nicknamed
“Houdini” escaped from its custody. Aaron Forden scaled the perimeter fence
of Mt Eden Corrections Facility early this morning. He was pursued by a
police dog, but got away in a waiting car. Forden used knotted bed sheets
to escape from Mt Eden Prison in 2008. “I would consider him to be
unpredictable and therefore dangerous and that members of the public should
not approach him,” says Detective Sergeant Iain Chapman. “But it’s only
with assistance from the public and his associates that we will catch him.”
Forden is known to change his appearance to avoid capture.
August 25, 2011 The
West Australian
A former Serco employee at Curtin Detention Centre says treatment of
detainees by some staff members was "outrageously brutal" and
they were bullied constantly. Seven asylum seekers were flown from Curtin
and put in isolation on Christmas Island on Tuesday night because of
increased tensions at the remote centre, 40km from Derby. The Immigration
Department confirmed two men tried to escape on Friday. They climbed an
internal fence but did not get past the electric perimeter fence. A
spokeswoman denied the men were injured in the incident and said they were
not among three detainees denied treatment at Broome Hospital on Tuesday
for speaking to a member of the public in a waiting room. The former
employee, who recently resigned and asked not to be named, spoke of growing
tensions at Curtin where there were three staff who had "no training,
no idea and no perceived intention to provide any welfare" to
detainees. "The fact two Serco guards have committed suicided since
April is evidence that not everyone can live with this on their
conscience," they said. An elderly Afghan man who had asked in July to
be moved to a single room because he believed he "smelled" - a
problem attributed to mental health issues - was manhandled by staff. They
claimed a department case manager and Serco welfare officer called the man
a liar after a short interview and, as he tried to leave the room, two
"burly" Serco guards shoved him to the ground. He spent four days
in hospital with back injuries, the former employee said. Employees were
scared to talk to anyone outside the centre about such incidents,
particularly the media, for fear of being identified or sacked. "The
expulsion of the Serco man at Christmas Island recently and the sacking of
the mental health nurse from Darwin last week is evidence that it is a real
threat," they said. Habib, 28, an Afghan asylum seeker released in
July after 15 months in detention, fears for friends inside. He said some
staff were uncaring and detainees were scared to speak out in case it
affected their status. Many were depressed after waiting many months for
interviews. The immigration spokeswoman rejected claims detainees were
treated badly. "We require that our staff and Serco staff treat
detainees with dignity and respect," she said. There were complaint
processes and allegations were always investigated. She said there were no
recent complaints of mistreatment.
August 19, 2011 The
Age
A MENTAL health nurse has been sacked from a Darwin detention centre for
saying she believes mandatory detention contributes to mental illness in
asylum seekers. A letter sent by her employer, International Health and
Medical Services (IHMS), and obtained by The Age, says her job was
terminated last Friday after Serco detention centre managers and
Immigration Department staff complained that she was ''expressing negative
political opinions'' about detention. The federal government's Detention
Health Advisory Group, the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses and
the Australian Psychological Society yesterday called for mandatory
detention to be abandoned. Their call came after documents submitted to a
parliamentary inquiry showed high levels of self-harm, with 213 detainees
treated for self-inflicted injuries and 700 for ''voluntary starvation'' in
the first six months of this year. The chairwoman of the advisory group,
Professor Louise Newman, said she was concerned that a political view could
be held against a health worker. IHMS spokeswoman Melissa Lysaght said last
night that staff were entitled to political opinions but needed to work in
a team environment. ''In fact, that is not a reason for terminating
someone, because everyone is entitled to a political opinion,'' Ms Lysaght
said. ''In hindsight, the phrasing of the letter was incorrect.'' She said
the woman had been sacked for professional standards reasons, after working
there for two weeks. Amanda Gordon, of the Australian Psychological
Society, said yesterday there was clear scientific evidence of the harm
caused by indefinite detention, which ''exacerbates trauma, and creates
mental illness, in contravention of the government's own commitment to
reduce it''. Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton said
yesterday his attack on the mandatory detention policy at the AMA's
parliamentary dinner this week had been prompted by ''terrible stories''
being reported by paediatricians and psychiatrists who went inside
detention centres. Dr Paul Bauert, director of paediatrics at the Royal Darwin
Hospital, said children as young as four and five had been caught up in
hunger strikes that their parents were involved in, and were treated at his
hospital. ''They weren't eating and required intravenous and gastric
drips,'' he said.
August 17, 2011 IT
News
Australia's Department of Immigration has blamed IT systems for delays in
turning over detailed information on serious incidents recorded at
detention centres to a parliamentary inquiry. The Joint Select Committee on
Australia's Immigration Detention Network, established 16 June and convened
for the first time last night, received 597 pages of data [pdf] from the
department on incidents recorded at detention facilities since January
2008. It had sought from the department copies of all incident reports
filed by immigration facility managers Serco and health services provider
International Health and Medical Services (IHMS). The department said it
had received 9157 incident reports from Serco between 1 October 2009 and
the 30 June 2011. These were recorded in a Compliance, Case Management,
Detention and Settlement (CCMDS) portal. The department also received 1869
reports from G4S, a firm that managed detention centres before Serco was
contracted. G4S incidents were recorded in a "legacy system"
called the Immigration Services Information System (ISIS). The department
claimed there was no quick way of accessing incident reports, such as use
of a batch process for extraction. "It would take a departmental
officer approximately 919 hours of work (this is equivalent to around 25
weeks of work for a full time officer) to extract all reports from the
system as each report needs to be extracted individually," the
department said. Instead, the department produced a spreadsheet that
aggregated every incident recorded according to tags such as
"escape", "voluntary starvation" and
"self-harm". The department said that getting to IHMS incident
reports prior to January 2010 was difficult because they were not
electronically recorded at this time. Alleged abuse against staff -- The
committee had also sought detailed data on actions taken by Serco for
incidents where the contractor's or department's staff had been allegedly
abused or threatened "by detainees or other persons within the
Detention Network". Department figures showed Serco recorded 871
instances of "alleged or observed inappropriate behaviour... towards
Serco staff" until 30 June this year. "Action taken by Serco in
relation to these incidents are recorded in multiple systems depending upon
the nature of the incident," the department noted. "The very
detailed information sought in the [committee's] question is not readily
available in consolidated form and it would be a major task to collect and
assemble it. "In order to report on the outcome for each incident, the
department would need to manually interrogate these systems. "The
department estimates that this would take a departmental officer an average
of 30 minutes for each incident. This equates to approximately 58 working
days." Figures that were released by the department showed the number
of detainees hospitalised, treated for starvation and injuries from
self-harm.
August 11, 2011 ABC
The report details a system unable to respond to serious threats like
April's riots in Sydney's Villawood detention centre. ABC1's Lateline has
been given exclusive access to a wide-ranging report delivered by Comcare,
the Federal Government's workplace safety agency. It paints a picture of
systemic under-training of staff and a lack of preparation to deal with the
constant threat of violence, protests and self-harm. The revelations come
as yet another boat carrying 100 asylum seekers arrives on Christmas
Island, adding to overcrowding at the detention centre there. The Comcare
report is scathing about overcrowding issues set to worsen with the new
arrivals. Once inside the detention centre the latest arrivals face a
system that places them and their guards in danger, according to the
Comcare report. The report identifies five major failures by the Department
of Immigration across the detention centre network: •There is no risk
management process, despite the highly volatile environment. •There is no
plan to alter staffing levels to deal with dramatic fluctuations in
detainee numbers. •Staff are not trained to the point where they are
confident and competent in their jobs. •There is no effective written plan
to deal with critical incidents like riots and suicide attempts. •And no
steps are taken to manage detainees' religious and cultural needs,
detainees are roomed together even when there's a history of extreme
violence between their ethnic groups in their homes countries. The Federal
Opposition obtained the report under freedom of information. "There
are system-wide failures in the detention network and I think that's what this
report bares out, and I think it totally justifies the Coalition's call for
a parliamentary inquiry into the detention network," Opposition
immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said. The report details a system
unable to respond to serious threats to life and limb like April's riots in
Sydney's Villawood detention centre. "There were clear indicators
(that Villawood staff advise were present at the time) that the riots were
reasonably foreseeable. Despite the apparent clear indications, no critical
incident plans were in place for staff to follow, should such a situation
occur," the report said. The report backs up claims made by guards at
detention centres that proper training is not provided. "Basically,
from what I've seen, the new recruits were just basically put on the floor,
no training whatsoever, they were being told that they would be trained as
they were," a Serco guard said. Serco is the company which runs the
detention network on behalf of the Immigration Department. The lack of
training has led to serious ramifications identified in the Comcare report,
which details how Serco staff are thrown into situations of extreme risk
with little idea of how to respond. "Serco staff provided information
about the level of serious assaults on staff, witnessing the deaths of
detainees and the distress of having to deal with it. Staff also advised of
feeling inadequately trained and the lack of instruction and
supervision/support during times of critical incidents," the report
said. 'Damning report' Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the report is
damning. "They don't have access it seems in this report [to] a clear
plan for dealing with self-harm and suicide, the report is very damning of
a lack of management and management plans for incidents, and so they are
left to their own devices," she said. "This report is quite
damning [in] that there is a culture of non-disclosure, a culture of
secrecy, total lack of transparency and what we see is we don't know how
many cases of self-harm there are, how many incidents that have had to be
escalated to different levels." But Immigration Department spokesman
Sandi Logan says Comcare has "ignored and made errors" in terms
of the training the department is doing "around cultural awareness,
training around detention operations and training of case managers".
Lateline recently obtained a log of incidents in the Christmas Island
detention centre detailing up to 12 incidents of self-harm or attempted
suicide per day. The Comcare report suggests the number could be higher, as
could other dangerous events: "... there is (a) level of
under-reporting of notifiable incidents in accordance with s68 of the OHS
Act." Mr Logan rejects the suggestion that there is under-reporting of
incidents in the immigration detention network. "What in fact there
have been at times is where there have been serious incidents that have
occurred is we have had to wait for the full medical report, the legal
report, any police investigation into that incident before it's been
brought to Comcare's attention," Mr Logan said. Comcare told Lateline
it has identified a number of potential breaches by the Immigration
Department of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It says the
department has got until Monday week to respond, or face the possibility of
a $250,000 fine. The report also details attempts by the Immigration
Department to hamper investigations into its safety performance. Mr Logan
rejects any suggestion there was a lack of cooperation by the department.
"We would reject any suggestion that we did not cooperate with
Comcare. I think there may have been some miscommunication on a couple of
occasions," Mr Logan said. A parliamentary inquiry will look into the
immigration detention centre network next Tuesday.
July 13, 2011 The
Australian
THE company running Australia's immigration detention centres is incurring
unsustainable fines from the Department of Immigration for breaches of its
$712 million contract, according to a leaked email from Serco's senior
operations manager at the Christmas Island detention centre. An escape on
July 1 -- about three months after Australian Federal Police were sent to
bolster the security at the centre and insist that electric perimeter
fences be switched on -- is the latest in a string of breaches that will
cost Serco dearly. The company last week appointed a full-time security
manager to prevent further escapes. Guards are now stationed on the
perimeter of the centre under beach umbrellas on 12-hour shifts,
complaining it is too hot and that shade falls on the other side of the
fence for several hours each day. Serco's senior operations manager for the
detention centre, Steve Southgate, addressed colleagues about continued
breaches in an email last Monday. "We can no longer remain where we
are," he said. "We are getting fined for things that should have
been completed. We are getting fined for not paying attention to the
detail. We are getting fined for not doing what we have said we will do. We
need to change our culture to a proactive culture and get ourselves out of
this reactive blame culture." Mr Southgate arrived on the island after
mass breakouts, unrest and rioting in March that led to the AFP taking over
the centre temporarily. Those incidents are likely to have resulted in
substantial fines -- called abatements -- for Serco, though the firm's
contract stipulates that fines are capped at 5 per cent of whatever the
company gets paid that month for running the centre where the breaches
occurred. The 5 per cent cap does not apply if the breaches are deemed
"significant or continuous".
May 30, 2011 TangataWhenua.com
Not only is Serco’s contract commercial in confidence, it has now been
revealed the detention centre operator receives little scrutiny from the
Department of Immigration, reports Adam Brereton from Canberra. Not only is
the $1 billion contract awarded to detention centre operator Serco beyond
the reach of public scrutiny, but Senate Estimates hearings today revealed
that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship collects scant data on
breaches and has limited knowledge and oversight of staff training levels.
In what was a stellar confirmation of the Greens’ reputation as Senate
watchdogs, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young doggedly pressed DIAC assistant
secretary Fiona Lynch-Magor over allegations that Serco has been posting
untrained and inexperienced guards to Australia’s overcrowded detention
centres, with surprising results. When asked by Hanson-Young, the DIAC
official was unable to list the number of times Serco had breached the
“management and service” provision of the contract, relating to detention
centre operations, because the contract “doesn’t record specific breaches
per incident”, instead measuring Serco’s performance under a “series of
abatements that apply to certain metrics”. The abatements, issued as
retrospective fines, have been occurring on Lynch-Magor’s admission “since
the beginning of the contract”, but are “not recorded in a recordable
number”. “Systemic” breaches trigger “continuous failure” under the
contract, which has a multiplier effect on the abatement issued. Senator
Hanson-Young appeared increasingly frustrated with Lynch-Magor’s answers,
which became more circuitous as the questioning continued. When asked
whether a failure to train staff properly could be considered a breach, she
replied that Serco was “required to undertake all the training we require
them to do”, and listed Certificate 2 requirements for centre chefs and
guards. Lynch-Magor told the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional
Affairs that DIAC had requested Serco prove their staff were properly
trained “earlier this week”, and had received an immediate response. When
Senator Hanson-Young asked the number of staff who “were asked to leave”,
she was told that wasn’t information the department usually requested from
Serco. “So the department doesn’t know how many untrained staff have been
on the ground… as of earlier this week?” the Senator replied. The assembled
DIAC officials assured Senator Hanson-Young they “have ongoing monitoring
of the Serco contract” — a contract manager in each facility, plus centre
and national level monitoring, and “would expect Serco to respond
immediately.” “You’re telling me you have no record of how many times the
contract supervisors have had to request staff be removed?” Senator Hanson-Young
asked. DIAC asked the question be put on notice, ending that line of
enquiry. When queried about public disclosure, DIAC explained that those
parts of the Serco contract that were outside public scrutiny were
justified — centre maps, operational details, and commercial performance
indicators. The Senator didn’t buy it. “So the list of items that could
qualify as a breach of the contract are not public, and the department
doesn’t audit the list of breaches — what breaches happen, how many
breaches happen — at what stage is there any type of transparency?” she
asked. By this stage Lynch-Magor was feeling the heat. She told the
Standing Committee the abatements regime is audited and can be quantified.
Serco’s abatements regime is a “performance metric” assessed against a
number of criteria, compiled by DIAC monthly — individual breaches aren’t
collated — and there is no ticking or crossing. It’s not a system where
“five particular events occurred and that added up to the number five”,
Lynch-Magor said. “And where is that publicly disclosed?” Senator
Hanson-Young asked. “It’s not publicly disclosed,” Lynch-Magor confessed.
“So the contract whereby the list of requirements that Serco has to fulfill
is not for public disclosure, the possible items that would qualify as a
breach is not publicly disclosed, the performance of whether they are
actually upholding or breaching that service delivery performance is not
publicly disclosed — where in this process is there the public interest and
transparency of this contract?” Lynch-Magor made a noise much like the last
puff of air being expelled from a balloon. “It doesn’t exist, does it? If
it’s up to Senate Estimates, well we need to see those things tabled,” the
Senator added. “It might be worth noting Senator that we have an extensive
process of internal and external auditors,” Lynch-Magor added. “I think
I’ve made my point,” Senator Hanson-Young concluded. The Federal Opposition
is currently seeking the support of the independents and Greens to conduct
a broad-based inquiry into immigration detention.
May 25, 2011 ABC
The Immigration Department says riots at the Christmas Island and Villawood
detention centres are estimated to have caused about $9 million in damage.
A number of buildings were destroyed during violent protests at both
centres earlier this year. Department spokeswoman Fiona Lynch-Magor told a
Senate hearing the company that runs the centres, Serco, will make an
insurance claim for the damage. "We've made some early assessments of
what we think those costs will be with our insurer," she said.
"But Serco will be pursuing the insurance with their own
insurer." The Immigration Department also says there were not enough
federal police on Christmas Island to arrest asylum seekers who escaped
from the detention centre during protests earlier this year. A large group
of asylum seekers broke through the detention centre fence during the riots
and the Senate hearing heard they were offered a lift back to the detention
centre. Department spokeswoman Jackie Wilson says it was not possible to
arrest the group. "The numbers of police on the island and the need to
secure the airport as a priority did not enable us to have sufficient AFP
on the island to do that," she said. "We were trying to do it in
a peaceful way which required working with the clients rather than using
AFP, which were being used for another purpose at the time." The
Opposition says the lack of federal police left the island in a vulnerable
position. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says it backs his
argument for a parliamentary inquiry into the detention network.
"[It's] very concerning that there were not sufficient police on the
island when things broke out," he said. "What makes [this] worse
is the department confirmed that the number and type of incidents were
escalating and getting more serious, which was a clear indication that
things were ... [the] temperature was rising and things were getting out of
hand." The Government has already established a number of inquiries
into the detention network.
May 25, 2011 The
Daily Telegraph
THE contrast in lifestyle could not be more stark. The man in charge of
Australia's detention centres lives in this Sydney Harbour waterfront
apartment - a world away from detainees living in overcrowded conditions
just 30km away at the Villawood detention centre. David Campbell, the boss
of Serco, lives in the $2.5 million three-bedroom apartment at McMahons
Point. With estimates the highly-secretive Serco will make $1 billion from
running detention centres until 2014, it is expected, with bonuses, that Mr
Campbell's salary will only rise. Locals said apartments in the block
featured only the best finishes: Spanish stone on the kitchen floors,
eucalyptus granite on benchtops, stone-finished bathrooms and myrtle-veneer
finishes for kitchens. Mr Campbell does not own the property, but local
sources said a typical rent for the apartment would be $2000 a week. The
apartment block is heavily secured - at the same time our detention centres
have suffered some well-publicised breaches in recent months. A report this
month by Amnesty International suggested that overcrowding at the Serco-run
detention centres was a problem. Even Serco admitted that with boat people
arriving in record numbers, there were "significant pressures on the
operation of detention facilities". But the only boat people Mr
Campbell is likely to see at his McMahons Point pad are the yachtie and
motor cruiser set, with eight marina berths exclusively used by residents.
And there is no sign he will have to vacate his luxury quarters in the near
future.
May 12, 2011 The
Australian
The Gillard government has secretly doubled the fee paid to global prisons
contractor Serco, which will now charge taxpayers $712 million to manage
the nation's immigration detention network. Government tender records
reveal that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship secretly
increased the contract price in November last year, barely 11 months after
publicly announcing the cost to be $367m. Serco, which manages government
prisons in Australia, Britain, the US, Europe and New Zealand, has also
been fined several times for breaching contract conditions. The Immigration
Department yesterday refused to say how or when Serco had breached its
contract, or how much the department had penalised the company by
withholding contract payments. "We can't got into detail on the total
amount of any fines imposed, as this information is considered
commercial-in-confidence," a department spokesman said.
"Disclosure of such details has the potential to damage the commercial
reputation of the detention services provider. "The contract provides
for the contractor to be penalised where it is proven that lax work
practices or incompetence have resulted in negligence and contributed to loss
and damage of commonwealth assets." During Serco's management,
asylum-seekers recently set fire to detention centres on Christmas Island
and at Villawood, in Sydney, where they have staged regular rooftop
protests and hunger strikes. Nine Chinese nationals escaped from Villawood
last year. This week's budget papers reveal that the Gillard government has
also granted Serco legal and financial indemnities. Serco is responsible
for insuring the Immigration Department against loss and damage, or any
personal liability claims arising from its management of detention centres,
but the government has agreed that Serco will be liable to pay only $75m,
on top of any insurance payouts. "What this means is that in the
course of negotiating the contract, the commonwealth has agreed to meet any
additional liability beyond $75m in the event of certain
circumstances," the department's spokesman said. "This is
consistent with previous detention service provider contracts, and for
Serco to achieve unlimited liability in all circumstances would result in
additional contract costs. "Such a decision was taken to ensure value
for money and was subject to a full risk assessment." The spokesman
confirmed that the contract price had blown out to $712m because Serco had
been handed extra facilities to manage and needed to recruit more staff.
The government has opened four detention centres: the high-security Curtin
facility and a lower-security family centre at Leonora in Western
Australia; Scherger in Queensland's Cape York; and Inverbrackie in South
Australia. A Serco spokeswoman said yesterday the government did not allow
it to discuss any conditions of its contract. "We don't give staffing
numbers for our sites due to security reasons," she said. Serco won
the five-year contract in 2009, taking over from rival provider G4S. In a
statement to the British stock exchange, Serco revealed that the contract
"may be extended for a further four years" -- a detail left out
of the Immigration Department's public announcement.
May 6, 2011 Big
Pond
A Christmas Island detention centre guard has accused management of a
series of cover-ups. The guard said Serco, a private company that runs
Australia's detention centres, was keeping the immigration department in
the dark about the problems it faces at its facilities. Choosing to remain
anonymous, he told ABC television on Thursday a management officer shredded
a report detailing an incident in which he was attacked. 'You might get an
unruly detainee, and Immigration will say Oh no, you can't do anything, you
can't touch him' even if he pushes you, shoves ya, you just look at him,'
the guard said. 'If you write him up, sometimes it goes into Bin 13 - and
that's it.' He said Bin 13 was code among staff for the shredder. Asked if
such cover-ups were a regular occurrence, he replied: 'I'd say so.' The man
also accused Serco of inflating staff numbers and having guards on the
rosters that didn't exist. 'Yep, they're not on the island, but they're on
the roster.' The guard said he and his colleagues sometimes would go to
work drunk, but were never punished because of the worker shortage. The ABC
broadcast statements from two other Serco guards who agreed staff numbers
were low. One said that during a riot in February, there had been 15 guards
watching over 2500 detainees. Serco has been contacted for comment. The
cover-up claims come as Immigration Minister Chris Bowen was forced to
rebuke his department for not alerting him to the discovery of a homemade
bomb at Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre. He conceded he should have
been alerted when the primitive device was found in March, just a month
before a riot and major fire broke out, damaging nine buildings.
April 19, 2011 ABC
Radio Australia News
New allegations have surfaced that staff at Australia's Christmas Island
detention centre are being pressured not to report troublesome incidents.
Kaye Bernard from the Christmas Island Workers union claims the company
that manages the facility, Serco, has instructed workers not to report
incidents, including self-harm. Ms Bernard claims it's because the company
doesn't want to be fined by the Government if its found to have breached
its contractual obligations. "They've certainly instructed some of our
members that they will not, that they will not tolerate them reporting
incidents as they are required to do over the contract with DIAC and if you
do report incidents you get a window seat, you get flown off the
island," she said. In a statement Serco has strongly denied the
allegation.
March 2, 2011 ABC
The company in charge of Australia's detention facilities has been fined
for a series of escapes by detainees. The Immigration Department claims
Serco has breached the contract conditions to run the detention centres,
with almost 50 detainees escaping since June 2009 and 35 still on the run.
The fines are reported to exceed $4 million, but the Government has refused
to comment. Yesterday Opposition spokesman Scott Morrison said an escape
from Sydney's Villawood detention centre was a sign of a system in crisis.
On Tuesday morning a Fijian national being held at the facility after his
visa had been cancelled managed to escape. Six other men also attempted to
flee the centre but were stopped by staff. The department ordered an
investigation into the escape.
February 19, 2011 ABC
The Immigration Department says there are 16 people still missing from the
country's detention centres after they escaped during the past year. The
Department says there has been 41 escapes from detention centres across the
country between July 2010 and January this year. Twenty-five people have
been found but officials have no idea where the remaining 16 are. A
spokeswoman for the Minister for Immigration says the Government considers
any escapes from detention to be unacceptable. She says the company
contracted to run the centres, Serco, has been fined for several escapes,
saying the breakouts have been a breach of the contract conditions. The
Government says if further action is required against Serco, it will not
hesitate to act. It says the number of escapes has decreased significantly
compared to 10 years ago.
January 13,
2011 Streatham Guardian
The escape of a dangerous prisoner from a Wimbledon court has sparked an
investigation – as magistrates voiced concerns about security at the
building. Private security firm Serco, which is contracted to escort
prisoners appearing at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, has said it will
examine how he was able to climb out of the dock to go on the run for 11
days before handing himself in to the police in Battersea on Friday. The
man, who was not handcuffed when he appeared in the locked dock last Monday
after his arrest in Wandsworth, climbed on to a bench before hauling
himself over a plastic wall that supposedly sealed the dock from the rest
of court number one. The escape of the 21-year-old from West Norwood
prompted police appeals, in which the public were told he was dangerous and
should not be approached. He had just been told he was to be kept in
custody for two months before facing three charges of robbery, allegedly
stealing cash and electrical equipment in Merton and Wandsworth last year,
and one of carrying a bladed weapon. One magistrate at the Alexandra Road
court said they heard there was not enough security in the court building
on the day of the escape. They said: “If he was on the loose I would have
to dive under the table.”
November 1,
2010 BBC
Outsourcing group Serco has abandoned plans to pass on the impact of
government spending cuts to suppliers. Serco, which carries out a host of
government contracts, had asked its largest suppliers to pay a 2.5% rebate.
The company said it now wished to "apologise unreservedly" to its
suppliers, and had retracted letters asking for the rebate. The government
is reported to have been angered by Serco seeking rebates from its
suppliers, but has yet to comment. Serco upbeat despite cuts drive Serco
operates a number of public sector contracts on behalf of the government
and local authorities. These include running four prisons including
Doncaster, the maintenance of a number of RAF bases including Brize Norton,
and the operation of London's Docklands Light Railway. Shares in the firm
were down 6% in morning trading on the London Stock Exchange, making it the
biggest faller on the FTSE 100 index.
October 20, 2010 International
Business Times
Federal authorities confirmed on Thursday that an investigation is
underway on alleged security loopholes in Darwin's immigration facilities
following the lapses that occurred last month, which was punctuated by a peaceful
protest of detained immigrants who sprung out from the centre. An
Immigration Department spokesman admitted that the Northern Territory
Licensing Commission is conducting an inquiry on Serco, which was tasked by
the department to provide for security on the detention facilities. The
same official told AAP that Serco is delegating some of its
responsibilities to MSS Security though he stressed that the Immigration
Department has ensured that the security firm was duly reminded to only
employ trained and licensed personnel and comply with all relevant laws.
The spokesman also revealed that some former MSS Security employees were
facing compliance actions and Serco has been cooperative so far with the
ongoing investigation, which came following series of incidents in the past
few months where asylum seekers rioted in the facilities, vandalised the
centre and staged a protest action after breaking out of detention.
Meanwhile, federal opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison warned
that the government would be made responsible if allegations of unlicensed
workers were made to man the immigration centre were proven true. Mr
Morrison told ABC that the government cannot put the entire blame on
security contractors since it has the ultimate responsibility as he
stressed that "the government must ensure that that licensed operators
are only ever used in the care and supervision of people who are being
detained by the state."
September 28, 2010
Fairfield City Champion
REFUGEE advocates say the company contracted to run Villawood Detention
Centre broke a promise to Tamil detainees a day after the detainees agreed
to end a rooftop protest. The detainees climbed onto the roof of the
centre's stage three building last Monday after a Fijian man who had
earlier been on the roof fell to his death. The detainees had stayed on top
of the building until the following night, threatening to jump unless the
Immigration Department agreed to refer their claims for asylum to United
Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR. Advocate Sara Nathan said the group had
peacefully ended its protest after assurances by the contractor, Serco,
that they would not be moved to high security detention. "This was a
request made prior to them coming [down] and was instrumental in concluding
the stand-off," she said. "A department officer present at the
time also instructed the contractor not to punish any of the protesters,
and that was agreed." Less than 48 hours later, the detainees were
moved to stage one detention, where Ms Nathan said there was no natural
light and no showers, toilets or doors on bedrooms. A Serco spokeswoman
referred all questions on the running of the centre to the department. A
department spokesman said it could not comment on the running of the
centre, but that Serco was preparing a report into the incident. The
department confirmed last week a second rooftop protest at the centre by a
group of five men and four women also ended peacefully.
May 23, 2010
The Daily Telegraph
Under the scheme, the publicly-funded broadcaster handed over footage to
inmates who earn just £30 a week rather than members of its own 23,000
staff. Convicts at a privately run Category B jail, the second-highest
security level, transferred tapes of old television shows to computer to
save them for posterity. Senior staff in the BBC’s archives department
visited the jail to watch the work in progress while meetings were held to
discuss a landmark deal for the prisoners to digitise all 1million hours of
programmes in its vaults. Fearful about the controversy the scheme could
cause, the BBC never discussed it publicly and even the broadcasting union,
Bectu, was unaware of it. Details were obtained by this newspaper through a
Freedom of Information request that took more than four months rather than
the usual 20 working days. The BBC insists that it has not given any money
to Serco, the private jail operator, for the secret scheme nor signed any
contracts, following the pilot project last year. However emails disclosed
by the corporation show that it had shown considerable interest in the
innovative project proposed by Serco, which runs four prisons in England.
The BBC owns more than 1m hours of historic content, some of it decades old
and at risk of being lost. It employs 66 people to look after it, at a cost
of £5m a year, in its Information and Archives department. The corporation
estimates it would take 10 years to safely copy all 100m items in its
collection into longer-lasting digital formats. In December 2008 it was
approached by Serco to become involved in Artemis – Achieving
Rehabilitation Through Establishing a Media Ingest Service – a new project
for prisoners to transfer archive documents to computers. Serco said it
would provide “high-quality employment” and the chance of an NVQ
qualification for inmates and HMP Lowdham Grange, a 628-capacity jail near
Nottingham all of whose inmates are serving at least four years. The firm
said this would mean it could provide a “stable work force”. The BBC was
told it would prove a “very cost-effective” way of digitising its archive,
and several meetings were organised to discuss plans. Managers agreed to
hand over 20 hours of old videos, including episodes of Horizon and Earth
Story, so prisoners could transfer them to computer and also add
“meta-data” – typed detailed descriptions of the footage to help producers
search through it more easily. The British Library and National Archives
also provided material for the pilot project. In September last year, five
members of BBC staff visited the jail, where a production workshop had been
built, and were reported to be “pleased” with what they saw of the
prisoners’ work and enthusiasm. However David Crocker, the driving force
behind the scheme at Serco, admitted: “The major concern was around the
potential negative newspaper headlines that the BBC may attract.” The
company did discuss the scheme with one newspaper and one trade magazine
but made no reference to the BBC’s involvement. In November, Mr Crocker
told the BBC: “I can’t thank you enough for finding a project for us to
kick-start Artemis.” He said his staff were drawing up “terms of reference”
and would then “cost the project” of a full-scale digitisation of the BBC’s
archive. However no deals have yet been signed. The BBC said: “The BBC did
hold discussions with Serco about their planned project to digitise
archives. As part of this the BBC, alongside other organisations, provided
some material for Serco to use as part of its feasibility study for the
project. “No payment was made to Serco as part of this, nor was any
guarantee or promise of work entered into. “The BBC has no plans to work
with Serco to digitise its programme archive and has not come to any
agreements nor signed any contracts with any firms about utilising the
prison workforce on any project.”
May 16, 2010 Northern
Territory News
A CHINESE woman was still on the run last night - two days after she
escaped detention from a Darwin motel. The Immigration Department confirmed
the woman slipped away from the motel on Thursday morning and is yet to be
found. The same firm, Serco, that allowed eight people to flee from
Sydney's Villawood detention centre, is being blamed for her escape. A
source told the Sunday Territorian that federal police had detained the
woman and a Chinese man at Darwin airport after the pair allegedly arrived
from a Bali flight with fake passports. The source said the woman had to be
rushed to hospital when she panicked and swallowed a ring at the airport.
She was allegedly left unattended at the hospital before she was moved to
the Darwin motel and put into the care of security guards. The man is still
believed to be in detention.
May 13, 2010 London
Evening Standard
Docklands Light Railway operator Serco has been fined £450,000 after it
failed to stop a train which hit and killed a man who had fallen off a
platform. Robert Carter, 34, stumbled on to the lines at All Saints station
following a late-night argument with another passenger, Paul Green. Mr
Green telephoned police to say Mr Carter had a knife and had fallen on to
the track. Officers asked the DLR control room to check if someone was on
the lines, but this was treated as an “informal request” rather than an
actual report, Southwark Crown Court was told. A control room operator
failed to see Mr Carter on the track and did not halt the trains, which are
automatic and do not have an actual driver. Shortly afterwards another
member of the control room staff saw a police officer on All Saints
station's CCTV waving his arms above his head. This operator immediately
pressed an emergency plunger to halt an oncoming train but it was too late.
The wheels struck Mr Carter, who suffered serious injuries and died in
hospital. Serco was also ordered to pay £43,773 costs. It was found guilty
last month, under health and safety regulations, of failing to ensure its
automatic trains did not hit people who were on the tracks. Judge Deborah
Taylor, passing sentence yesterday, said: “Serco fell considerably below
what was required of it.” Procedures were “not robust or comprehensive
enough” in dealing with incidents of human error. But the judge said it was
clear that Serco “took safety seriously “ and there was “no suggestion
profit was put before safety”. David Travers, QC, prosecuting for the
Office of Rail Regulation, said Mr Carter was involved in an altercation
with another passenger at All Saints. “After he fell, it would appear that
Mr Carter was unable or unwilling to move — whether through injuries from
the fall, intoxication or for some other reason is unknown,” said Mr
Travers. “DLR staff looked at the station on their CCTV monitors, which are
not suitable for seeing if anyone is on the track, and failed to see Mr
Carter. The train which killed Mr Carter could have been stopped before
reaching the station.” Jurors were played a recording of the British
Transport Police call to the DLR control centre, in which line controller
Paul Day was heard to say: “There's certainly no one on the track.” Stephen
Moody, for Serco, said it had made several changes since the incident and
improved safety procedures. It denied one count of failing to comply with
its health and safety duties.
March 12, 2010 BBC
A custody officer has been charged with conspiring to supply drugs and
smuggle phones into jails by handing them to prisoners at Inner London
Crown Court. Former Serco employee Alan Redmond, 24, was held by the London
Prison Anti-Corruption Team (LPACT) on 10 December after a long-running
inquiry. Mr Redmond, of Elephant and Castle, south London, appeared at
Westminster Magistrates Court earlier in the week. He is also accused of
misconduct and is due at Southwark Crown Court on 13 May. Hayley Turner,
30, of Chislehurst, Kent, and Jonathan Lawlor, 28, of no fixed address,
have been charged alongside Mr Redmond with conspiring to supply drugs and
conspiracy to smuggle prohibited articles into prison. Another woman, 30,
has also arrested in connection with the investigation but no charges have
made. A spokesman for Serco said Mr Redmond no longer worked for the
company. "I can confirm a former member of Serco staff appeared in
court. "This is now a police matter and we are co-operating fully with
the relevant authorities."
March 10, 2010 Luton
Today
A group of detainees who claim they suffered 'inhumane and degrading
treatment' while at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre are suing the
Home Office. The 11 women have employed Leigh Day & Co solicitors to
seek damages from the government and Serco, the private security company
which runs the Clapham detention centre. The women, who are still detained
and are on hunger strike, allege that their rights to freedom of
expression, peaceful assembly and their rights not to be tortured, suffer
inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment were all breached by
employees of Serco. The breach occurred when around 70 women gathered
peacefully to present a petition against the conditions and treatment at
the centre to representatives of the UK Borders Agency. The Times &
Citizen reported on February 11 that detainees were locked in a corridor by
Serco employees for about eight hours with little ventilation and without
the use of lavatories and medical treatment. Frances Swaine, partner and
head of the human rights department at the law firm said: "My clients
have told me that the corridor soon became highly unpleasant and unsanitary.
"Women with existing medical conditions including HIV, asthma and
sickle cell anaemia were being denied their medication and treatment
leading to a severe deterioration in their health. "Other women became
unwell, some hyperventilated and others collapsed." She added:
"Some women called for an ambulance on their mobile phones, but later
found out they were denied entry to the detention centre. "This is one
very serious incident, but having read their petition and talked to the women
I was appalled to discover the general poor treatment and conditions they
are expected to live in on a daily basis." Leigh Day & Co is now
seeking a declaration to the effect that the detainees rights were
violated, and appropriate damages from Serco and the Home Office. A UK
Border Agency spokesman said: "The well-being of detainees is of
paramount concern to the UK Border Agency, which is why all detainees were
monitored by healthcare staff - as well as members of the Independent
Monitoring Board – throughout the protest."
January 9, 2010 Echo
News
A FORMER airport worker has been jailed for a year for his part in a
£4million jewellery heist. Tom Baisden, 28, who worked for Serco at a
warehouse which stored goods coming through Southend Airport, initially
pretended to have been beaten and tied up by robbers Gary Maughan and
Joseph Xenofondos. But Baisden was, in fact, an inside man who planned the
theft of the Cartier jewels with the two men and helped them carry it out
on May 21, 2001. But Baisden was given a reduced sentence because he
confessed to the robbery at Southend Airport seven years after it took
place. A former drug addict, Baisden appeared in the 2007 show Jamie’s
Chef, where TV chef Jamie Oliver tried to help people turn their lives
around. Baisden said he was inspired to hand himself in after appearing on
the show. He confessed to the crime and then co-operated with police and
the Crown Prosecution Service to give evidence against his co-conspirators
at a trial last autumn. In August 2008, he admitted stealing a box of
bracelets worth £13,958 on April 20, 2001, and conspiring to steal between
April 19, 2001, and May 22, 2001. Baisden also pleaded guilty to perverting
the course of justice, on May 22, 2001, by giving a false witness statement
to police, stating he had been the victim of a robbery. At Southend Crown
Court yesterday, Judge John Lodge gave Baisden a four-month sentence for
the theft, 13 months for the conspiracy and eight months for perverting the
course of justice to run consecutively. He will serve half in custody and
half released on licence.
December 13, 2009 Telegraph
The Rev Canon James Rosenthal, dressed in a red robe with a long white
beard and holding a bishop's mitre and crook, was refused entry by guards
at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre in Bedfordshire. After gently
protesting that he was not a threat, he started to bless the £300 worth of
gifts donated by congregations of several London churches. But after an
unedifying stand off, the security guards then called the police on the
visitor, who was accompanied by one of Britain's most distinguished
clerics. Mr Rosental, who is the Anglican church’s leading expert on St
Nicholas, said he was “extremely disappointed” that 35 boys and girls at
the centre were denied a pre-arranged visit by the patron saint of children
and the imprisoned. "St Nick has never been turned away from anywhere
before," he said. "So I was extremely disappointed not to be able
to hand deliver the gifts to the children detained at Yarl's Wood. I hope
the kids realise that they will be firmly in my prayers." Mr Rosental
is writing a formal letter of complaint to the centre about how it handled
the visit and the heavy-handed tactics employed by the guards who patrol
the perimeter fence. Serco, a private security company that operates Yarl’s
Wood, referred questions to the Home Office. A spokesman said that only
people subject to stringent security checks can be allowed into the
detention centre and there can be no exceptions. But the St Nicholas
Society, of which Mr Rosental is patron, said that Serco did not respond to
numerous requests before teh visit earlier this month to discuss how a
handover of presents could be carried out and also refused requests to
provide details about the 35 children in the centre so they could receive
appropriate presents. Serco also refused permission for the two clerics to
enter the centre to visit two refugee families later the same day, as it
had previously agreed. They were handed letters from Dawn Elaine, contracts
manager at Yarl's Mr Rosental said: "If this is how visitors are
treated, I shudder to imagine what else transpires inside Yarl's Wood.” He
was accompanied on the trip earlier this month by the Rev Professor
Nicholas Sagovsky, canon theologian at Westminster Abbey. He said:
"This was about bringing a moment of joy to kids locked up in a
deplorable situation. I can't help but contrast the smiles and wonderment
on the faces of the children St Nicholas visited at a local primary school
with the sad fate of those kids who will be locked up in Yarl's Wood over
Christmas." The presents were eventually loaded into an unmarked van
by staff who refused to provide a name, number or receipt for the gifts. Mr
Rosental asked one "guard" his name and the man said "write
down 'Father Christmas'".
September 4, 2009 Morning
Star
Leaders of the prison officers' union have accused the government of
"corruption at the highest levels" for colluding with privateers
to sell off Britain's jails. Prison Officers Association (POA) general
secretary Brian Caton made the damning accusation as he exposed exclusively
to the Morning Star the defection to security privateer Serco of the head
of a public-sector bid to run Buckley Hall jail near Rochdale. Former
prison governor Steve Hall, who had been appointed by the National Offender
Management Service (NOMS) to lead the bid, was revealed to have taken up a
position with the huge multinational despite government rules insisting
that civil servants must "put the obligations of public service above
your own personal interests." Mr Caton declared that the government
"wants to auction off the prison service and is fully aware that civil
servants like Steve Hall take the information that they have gathered and
defect to the private sector. "This is corruption at the highest
levels," he stressed. "This is not first time this has happened
and it comes despite Justice Minister Jack Straw giving us an absolute
assurance that it would not happen again," Mr Caton added. The Civil
Service code explicitly states that government workers "must not
misuse your official position, for example by using information required in
the course of your official duties to further your private interests."
But Mr Caton insisted that NOMS director of human resources Robin Wilkinson
had admitted that Mr Hall, who was appointed by the head of the
government's public-service bids unit Colin McConnell, had done exactly
that. Calling on NOMS director Phil Wheatley, Mr Wilkinson and Mr McConnell
to all resign, Mr Caton said that "the POA believes that this affair
represents a conspiracy to act in a corrupt manner and we will be demanding
that an independent inquiry should be conducted by the police - that's how
serious this is." The revelation comes just days after the POA
announced that its members had voted by a crushing four to one to strike
against the government's drive to sell off the Prison Service and hand
jails over to private security firms such as Serco. Mr Caton pointed out
that Buckley Hall prison had to be renationalised after its previous
experience with privatisation proved a failure. "Of 11 private prisons
in Britain, 10 are in the bottom quarter of the government's prison
performance league - that's how bad they are," he asserted.
"Privatisation is about driving down standards and paying prison
officers less because all these companies care about is profits," Mr
Caton added. "It is an insult to our members at Buckley Hall, who gave
information to Steve Hall to support the bid to keep the jail in the public
sector, that he has now stuffed that information into a briefcase and taken
it to Serco." Mike Nolan, president of Civil Service union PCS prison
service group, emphasised that such a breach of the Civil Service code was
"undoubtably immoral. "This has happened a few times, but what is
worse is that prison managers are actually being targeted by the
private-sector companies that want to take over prisons - and Serco in
particular is now riddled with them," he added. Serco and the Ministry
of Justice had not responded to requests for information as the Morning
Star went to press.
May 4, 2009 The
Telegraph
Tom Riall admits he broke the speed limit but says he did not realise how
fast he was travelling. Mr Riall was photographed doing 102mph in his 2.7
litre Volvo on a 70mph stretch of the A11 as he travelled to a business
meeting. Mr Riall, 49, a former soldier, is chief executive of Serco, which
oversees more than 5,000 cameras on Britain's roads. He is due to appear
before magistrates in Sudbury, Suffolk, on Wednesday, where it is understood
he will plead guilty to driving with excessive speed. Anyone caught doing
more than 100mph faces a driving ban of up to two years and a £2,500 fine.
There is also the option of taking a "speed awareness" class to
reduce the length of the disqualification. Mr Riall, who earns around
£150,000 a year, fully admits he broke the speed limit. "I was
travelling from my home to a business meeting on a clear A-road and I was
unaware of my speed. "I regret driving at this speed and will ensure I
mitigate it in future. "In my job, I understand the consequences of
speed and want to apologise to the court", he said outside his home in
Reading, Berkshire. Road safety campaigners have reacted angrily to the
confession. "We're concerned a driver doing 102mph claims to be
unaware of his speed – what sort of message does this put out to other road
users?", said Claire Armstrong, of the Safe Speed campaign group.
"A man who makes his income from speed cameras should know
better." In 2008 Serco led an anti-speeding campaign called Safe Drive
Stay Alive, which was backed by the Government. Mr Riall said at the time:
"In courts and prisons we see the direct consequences of reckless and
dangerous driving every single day. "For far too many young people it
ends with a prison sentence – but for the families left behind the pain
lasts much longer. "Serco is delighted to support Safe Drive Stay
Alive because we want to help bring about change for the young drivers and
all those whose lives are affected." There are around 8,000 speed
cameras on Britain's roads, which generate about £100 million every year in
fines.
April 29, 2009 Bromley
Times
A PRISON van driver ran over and killed a woman in "a moment of
complete madness" after she started dancing in the street, a court
heard. Andrew Curtis, 49, of The Ridge, Orpington, edged forward into Naomi
Benjamin, 34, until she slipped and fell under the wheels of the vehicle on
April 22 last year. He then drove over her body, twisting her head until
her neck was broken and dragging her 10 metres along the road, jurors were
told at his murder trial at the Old Bailey this week. Horrified witnesses
surrounded the driver and beat on the sides of the van in anger after the
incident in Brixton. Bystander Susan Fraser, giving evidence on Tuesday,
said: "She was in front of the prison van dancing, waving [her] arms
around and shouting. There was a lot of action going on. "The prison
van eventually moved forwards and Naomi moved backwards. The van moved
forwards again and almost touched her. She was obstructing the vehicle, she
was shouting but I couldn't understand any words." She then jumped up
and pulled the passenger windscreen wiper down before tumbling to the
floor. Ms Fraser added: "That was when the prison van escalated. She
fell under the wheel and the van continued moving up the hill and she was
underneath it. I was in shock. "I remained there until she was run
over and I made my way towards the van. "There was an immediate rush
of people towards the van, screaming and shouting at the van to stop.
"It was very nasty. Things got a bit nasty." Curtis, who had
worked for Serco for six years, was transporting prisoners from a court in
Westminster to Brixton prison during rush hour. He had stopped at the
traffic lights outside the KFC in the middle of the three-lane carriageway
heading southbound on Brixton Road. Prosecutor Simon Denison said:
"She was killed suddenly and utterly needlessly by this defendant in a
moment of complete madness. "She slipped and fell in front of the
centre of the van. You may think he must have realised what had happened
but quite incredibly he continued to drive the van forward and he went over
her." The victim was still alive when the first paramedic arrived but
by the time she could be moved from under the vehicle she was dead.
Describing Ms Benjamin, Mr Denison said: "She was well known in the
community, a local character. She was often dressed in brightly coloured
clothes. She was outgoing and a loud person. Unfortunately she was often
drunk." The trial continues.
April 26, 2009 The
Independent
Children held in the infamous Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre are
being denied urgent medical treatment, handled violently and left at risk
of serious harm, a damning report by the Children's Commissioner for
England will say tomorrow. Sir Al Aynsley-Green's investigation paints a
shocking picture of neglect and even cruelty towards children trapped
within the centre's razor-wired walls, and finds "substantial evidence
that detention is harmful and damaging to children and young people".
Since opening in 2001, the Bedfordshire detention centre has been plagued
by hunger strikes, self-harm incidents, a suicide and riots. It was
severely damaged by fire during disturbances in 2002. Despite repeated
scandals – and the damning findings of this report – planning permission
was given last month to double the centre's capacity from 405 places to
nearly 900. Around 2,000 children a year are held in immigration centres –
half in Yarl's Wood, which has been run by a private company, Serco, since
2007. The experience they described is prison in all but name. Politicians,
immigration experts and doctors last night called for an end to the
detention of children and for urgent measures to ensure other detainees are
treated humanely. The report, based on the most recent inspection by Sir
Al, reveals that basic safeguards for children in Yarl's Wood are failing.
Welfare issues raising "serious concern" were ignored, with
children forced to remain in custody even when they were seriously ill or
in danger from parents with mental health problems, the report says. It
also criticises the "scant regard to basic welfare needs" during
arrest and transportation to the centre. Key meetings between social
services, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and Yarl's Wood staff designed to
discuss the welfare implications of keeping a child locked up for more than
28 days dwelt instead on PR and legal concerns. The commissioner calls for
an urgent review to "ensure the best interests of the child are central
to decisions on detention". The UKBA claims that steps have now been
taken to protect children since the inspection last May, but Lisa Nandy,
policy adviser at The Children's Society, disputes this. "The agency
has not made the improvements necessary to safeguard these children,"
she said. "The Secretary of State for Children must intervene
immediately as this report exposes serious child protection risks which
have not been adequately addressed." The commissioner found that
seriously ill children were denied hospital treatment, while bureaucracy
substantially delayed others with critical conditions from getting to
hospital. A baby with pneumonia and a teenager with severe mental health
problems were among those affected. Despite being the main detention centre
for children, no one on the Yarl's Wood health team has child health
qualifications, the report says. Sir Al found major healthcare shortcomings
at the centre, describing safeguards, records and professionalism as
inadequate and below NHS standards. He reports that two children with
sickle cell disease were not allowed to bring their penicillin with them
when they were seized from their homes. As a result they became seriously
ill and required urgent treatment. Instead of being referred to hospital
for intravenous fluids and antibiotics they were simply given paracetamol.
Under the NHS this would be categorised as a life-threatening "Serious
Untoward Incident". Children suffering from serious medical conditions
and the mentally ill were routinely kept in detention despite guidelines
stating clearly they should not be. One diabetic child had three emergency
treatments in the 24 days she was detained – including two occasions where
her blood sugar left her "un-rousable" – but was still not
released. An eight-month-old baby with asthma was neither released nor
given an inhaler. Immunisations were denied to children documented as
needing them, creating a health risk. One child was even given the wrong
vaccine, while the centre's policy for preventing malaria was described as
containing "serious errors" and being "unacceptably
poor". Doctors working for Medical Justice, an organisation that
provides voluntary medical assistance for Yarl's Wood families, insist
there is wider evidence of medical abuse beyond the commissioner's report.
They say they have documented evidence of a child under 12 being given his
mother's anti-depressant drugs on removal; of a young person in severe pain
with sickle cell disease being denied painkillers because he was unable to
walk to the clinic to receive them in person; and of children contracting
severe malaria on being returned to their home country because they were
refused suitable preventative medicine. Paediatrician Dr Fred Martineau
said: "The detention of children, whether newborn babies or
adolescents, almost invariably causes them physical or emotional suffering.
Doctors from Medical Justice regularly see the effects of this, ranging
from a failure to give immunisations against potentially fatal diseases,
through to clinical depression ...The only way of preventing this harm is
to end their detention." Healthcare at Yarl's Wood has long been a
problem, with outbreaks of vomiting bugs and chickenpox common. The centre
was last night understood to be in the middle of yet another chickenpox
quarantine. The report describes the ordeal of "dawn raids" –
where up to 20 officers arrive to seize families in the early hours of the
morning. Children repeatedly reported being treated with violence,
including being dragged on the floor and thrown to the ground. Young people
told how traumatised they were by the experience, noting that officers
seemed to be laughing at them and "taking pleasure in the family's
distress". The study said: "In a large majority of cases,
children reported that officers' behaviour had been aggressive, rude and,
on a few occasions, violent." Children were even watched by officers
of the opposite sex while they dressed, which the report called "an
unacceptable safeguarding risk which must be addressed immediately".
They also had to watch parents being handcuffed and heavily restrained – a
direct flouting of UKBA guidelines. One mother, so distressed at being
handcuffed in front of her family and thrown into a caged van, tried to
hang herself with her son's shoelaces. Caged prison vans are routinely used
to transport children to the centre near Bedford, despite promises that
people carriers would be used for families. Children were denied toilet
breaks or food and drink. The vans, the report says, are "stained with
urine and vomit". The commissioner also expressed concern at the
increase in the length of time for which children are being held, which
threatens their mental well-being. Last week, the Home Secretary, Jacqui
Smith, told MPs: "Detention is a final option and is only used for the
shortest period necessary." But the Children's Commissioner says:
"The average length of time children and young people are being
detained is increasing, and, crucially, the decision to detain them is
neither being used as a last resort nor for the shortest period of time as
required by Article 37 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child."
In conclusion, Sir Al calls for an end to the detention of children.
"Each year in the UK, we detain around 2,000 children for administrative
purposes. This has to end," he said. His call was echoed by the
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who said: "The incarceration of
thousands of children accused of no crime, often for months on end, is
inhumane. The treatment of these vulnerable children in Yarl's Wood is a
shameful indictment of the Government's failed immigration policy."
The Border and Immigration minister Phil Woolas said: "If people
refuse to go home then detention becomes a necessity. We don't want to
split up families, so we hold children with their parents, and while they
are in our care we treat them with sensitivity and compassion." Taken
away: 'They came for us at night' -- Dominic Mwafulirwa trembles at the
words "Yarl's Wood". The eight-year-old was asleep when six guards
wrenched him and his mother, Cecilia, 35, from their Swansea home in the
early hours three months ago. They had arrived in the UK from Malawi when
Dominic was a year old. Cecilia, who had run away from an abusive husband,
started a new life in Wales, where Dominic excelled at school. That life
ended abruptly when the men arrived. "Dominic didn't say a word from
the time they came until we were locked up," Cecilia says. "It
was hard to keep his spirits up. When I asked him why he wasn't going to
the school at Yarl's Wood, he said: 'What's the point? We're not learning
anything.' He refused to wash and started smashing things. He's still
really angry and confused. "We spent 50 days in that place. I lost
20kg. I'm a sickle cell patient and by the end of the 50 days my haemoglobin
was too low. I'm really anaemic and they knew I had depression. They
changed my medication and they threatened to take my son away."
Cecilia and Dominic have been out of Yarl's Wood since the end of March.
They have yet to find out whether they will be allowed to stay in the UK.
March 27, 2009 The
Australian
THE research director of a British-based group that is expected to bid for
contracts to operate two jails in NSW has backed privatised facilities in
which inmates have keys to their cells and are on a first-name basis with
their jailers. Gary Sturgess, research director of the Serco Group, will
tell a NSW parliamentary inquiry today that decency, not efficiency, is the
main reason to privatise jails. He says overseas experience shows that prisoners
enjoy more privileges -- including being given the keys to their own cells
-- in correctional systems where private and public providers compete.
Prisoners in these systems spend more time out of their cells and have far
greater interaction with their jailers -- with whom they are frequently on
first-name terms -- than in systems where public providers face no
competition, Mr Sturgess says. The results are safer jails and lower rates
of reoffending. Serco is expected to bid for the contracts to operate
Cessnock prison, in the Hunter Valley, and Parklea prison, in western
Sydney, when the jails are privatised this year. The company already
operates one jail in Victoria and one in Western Australia. The decision by
NSW Premier Nathan Rees to privatise the two prisons has aroused heated
opposition from public sector unions and the Greens, and is opposed by a
minority of MPs in the Labor caucus. The privatisation of the jails is
being driven by Prisons Minister John Robertson, who led the campaign
against power privatisation as a union leader. Mr Sturgess's submission to
the upper house inquiry links private jail services in Britain to the
"decency agenda" pursued by former British prime minister Tony
Blair. "Contract prisons in the UK are more humane, partly because
government demanded a higher standard when writing the original contracts,
partly because price was not allowed to dominate the procurement process,
and partly because the political and policy environment at the time when
the market was first established was focused on the quality of prison
life," the submission from Serco argues. As NSW cabinet chief under
former Liberal premier Nick Greiner between 1988 and 1992, Mr Sturgess
drove a reform agenda that included the corporatisation of government enterprises
such as the railways and electricity transmission. He told The Australian
yesterday the British experience showed governments could use competition
in prison services as a way to set higher standards, not just to get better
value for money. "It gives a government an opportunity to say, 'What
kind of prisons do we want here?'," Mr Sturgess said. He said the
inmates in low- and medium-security prisons in Britain had been allowed to
hold duplicate keys to their own cells, which improved both efficiency and
decency. "If (the warder) is the only one with a key, then every time
a prisoner wants to go in and out of their cell you've got to send somebody
to look at it," he said. "This way, the inmate has the dignity of
having private space and a greater sense of security." The higher
proportion of women officers in private jails had changed the atmosphere.
"The difference is that if you've got a prison full of males, with all
the testosterone pumping around, people will attempt to man up," he
said. "You're not going to get any credit for assaulting a
woman." While such arguments will confound critics of prison
privatisation on the Left, Mr Sturgess, as a stalwart of NSW politics,
knows another obstacle will be the tough-on-crime stand of the major parties.
"The objective has got to be to reduce the cycle of reoffending,"
Mr Sturgess said. "If the consequence of failing to address quality
issues is that we do not break the cycle of reoffending, we're actually
increasing the crime problem."
March 6, 2009 The
Examiner
THE father of a Government MP who accepted a $2000 donation from a
private prison operator is a lobbyist for another company bidding to run
two more NSW jails listed for privatisation. Leo McLeay, whose son Paul
also chaired a committee that reviewed private prison contracts, appears on
the NSW Premier's Department lobbyist register as a consultant for Enhance
Corporate. Enhance lists Serco as a client. Serco, a multinational that
runs a jail in Western Australia, has lodged an expression of interest with
the NSW Government to run Parklea and Cessnock jails. But both Leo McLeay,
a former speaker of the House of Representatives, and Serco say Enhance
Corporate is not involved in lobbying for the jails contract. A spokeswoman
for Serco, Emma Needham, said the company had engaged another lobbying
firm, Government Relations Australia, for the contract. "We are not
using Enhance on this project," Ms Needham told the Herald. "Our
most recent relationship with them was earlier this year. They were
advising us on transport issues. That work concluded earlier this
week." Mr McLeay confirmed he had worked with Serco but "on a
small scoping study". He said: "It is completely unrelated to
prisons." According to a list posted by the NSW Department of
Commerce, four other companies have also tendered for the contract. They
are GSL Australia, Management and Training Corporation, the London-based
Sodexo and GEO Group Australia, which donated $45,000 to the Labor Party
before the state election in 2007 and which Paul McLeay said had paid for a
table at one of his fund-raising dinners. Leo McLeay's firm lists several
blue-chip corporations and organisations as clients in NSW, including Cisco
Systems, Lend Lease, United Group, the Australian Rugby League and the Law
Society. The executive director of the group is the former Queensland
deputy premier, Jim Elder, who quit politics in late 2000 after being
caught up in an electoral fraud scandal. An associate director is Chris
Ellison, the former justice minister for the Howard government. Meanwhile,
NSW prison officers will begin overtime bans at Long Bay jail this morning,
with staff at Parklea, Grafton and other prisons expected to impose similar
bans over the weekend. The officers are angry about comments made last week
by Ron Woodham, the Corrective Services Commissioner, to an upper house
inquiry into the proposed privatisation of Cessnock and Parklea jails, in
which he accused them of the "manipulation" of overtime rosters.
"Commissioner Woodham has repeatedly claimed that prison officers are
chasing overtime, when the reality is the prisons rely on overtime because
of low staff levels," said the chairman of the Prison Officers
Vocational Branch, Matt Bindley.
Southern
Queensland Correctional Centre, Spring Creek, Queensland,
Australia
Sep 29, 2017 couriermail.com.au
Arthur Gorrie and Southern Queensland correctional
centre management contracts out to tender
QUEENSLAND’S high-security private jails, deemed unsafe by staff, are set
for the biggest shake-up in 10 years as management contracts go out to
tender. Arthur Gorrie and Southern Queensland jails could get new
management after the State Government expressed its desire to have a local
operator. However, there are currently no jail management operators in
Queensland, opening the door for international applications. American-based
GEO group currently runs the high-risk Arthur Gorrie and UK-based SERCO
runs Southern Queensland, near Gatton, however both have been criticised
for their management and treatment of staff. Queensland Minister for Police
and Corrective Services Mark Ryan says a “Backing Queensland Jobs” policy
will apply to prison contracts. Staff claim the prisons have become
dangerous to work in, with not enough guards to patrol overcrowded units.
Strikes took place at Arthur Gorrie earlier this year as tensions reached
breaking point, with claims officers were forced to supervise more than 60
inmates. The number of inmates at the jail was yesterday 1175, or more than
30 per cent over capacity. The two providers were given a six-month
contract extension until mid-2018 but Corrections Minister Mark Ryan said
the tender would have a “Backing Queensland Jobs” policy. Potential
operators could include Core Civic, the largest private company in the US,
which has also been criticised for understaffing and violence. One of its
prisons was dubbed “Gladiator School”. Privately run prisons save the State
Government about $10 million a year. A Queensland audit report last year
found it cost the State Government $175 per prisoner a day, but private
operators were about 20 per cent cheaper. Opposition corrections spokesman
Tim Mander said: “This news only adds to the uncertainty around our prisons
which have been turned into fight clubs under Labor because they have
failed to deal with chronic overcrowding.” It’s unclear if the jails will
be advertised as one contract or if they will be separated.
May
22, 2013 abc.net.au
A
union says administration staff performed prison guard duties during strike
action at a southern Queensland jail. Some employees at the privately-owned
Southern Queensland Correctional Centre walked off the job at the weekend
over wages and conditions - they are threatening further action. The jail's
owners Serco say some staff not rostered on offered to work during the
strike and normal staff levels were maintained. However, Michael Clifford
from the United Voice union says the strike did affect the prison's
operation. "Nearly all the people covered by this enterprise
agreement, the cooks and the dogs and custodial officers, we know that
nearly all of those people were on strike," he said. "They have
tried to get administrative staff to fill the custodial positions.
"They're struggling to make sure they keep the place running. To say
it had no impact is completely untrue." Serco says custodial duties
were only carried out by "appropriately qualified members of staff
with at least a Certificate III in Correctional Practice". "We
are committed to running a safe and secure establishment at all times. We
operate one of the safest prisons in the state," it said in a
statement. Mr Clifford says the union has given notice of more industrial
action this weekend but he says further talks with Serco may resolve the
matter. "There's always hope that we can avoid the industrial action -
it's always a last resort and our members don't take industrial action
easily," he said. "They are very angry about the position that
the company has adopted in negotiations."Serco says it will continue
negotiating with the union.
May
24, 2013 au.news.yahoo.com
Immigration
Minister Brendan O'Connor has slammed the security firm managing a remote
far north Queensland detention centre after six Vietnamese men faced court
charged with escaping. Seven men climbed over a fence on Thursday at the
Scherger Immigration Detention Centre, about 30km east of the Cape York
township of Weipa. Mr O'Connor announced on Friday that his department
would hold an independent review of the incident. He's asked Serco, the
firm that runs the centre, to explain how the men were able to escape and
what was being done to stop more breakouts. "Any escape from an
immigration detention facility is unacceptable," he said. A Serco
spokesman says they are taking the incident seriously and the firm is
committed to providing a safe and secure centre. Six of the escapees
managed to board a plane at Weipa airport and fly to Cairns, 770km away.
Qantas says its staff followed correct procedures when the passengers were
checked in at Weipa Airport, where all passengers are screened.
"QantasLink staff became aware of some irregular activity with some
passengers at Weipa Airport yesterday and contacted the police," a
spokeswoman told AAP. She said the matter was now being by the Australian
Federal Police and the Department of Immigration. The group, aged 23 to 32,
were nabbed by police at a popular backpackers in central Cairns later that
day. They appeared in Cairns Magistrates Court on Friday, where their case
was adjourned until Monday so they could seek legal advice. Magistrate
Anthony Gett said any bail application would unlikely to be granted as the
men had been housed at a detention centre. Through an interpreter one of
the men asked Mr Gett: "Is there anyway we can get out of here?"
The AFP said a seventh man who escaped had not been charged but
investigations were continuing. Three other Vietnamese men, aged 24, 22,
and 19 and who all hold student visas, are being held in Weipa charged with
helping the men escape. Their case was heard in Cairns court on video link.
They will reappear on June 3 and will likely be moved to Cairns next month.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said an "organised
gang" was involved in helping the men break out of the facility.
"(The
detention network) shouldn't be vulnerable to organised gangs, effectively,
to go and break people out and put them on aeroplanes," he said.
"This has been a sophisticated breakout." Mr Morrison called for
a full investigation.
Ian
Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition said the men may have fled
because immigration processing at the centre had stalled. "There is a
complete lack of processing and in some instances the Vietnamese are not
able to make an application for asylum," he told AAP. He said some
Vietnamese had been forced to flee their home country as they had been
mistreated because of their involvement in the underground Catholic Church.
Weipa Mayor Peter McCulkin said the incident was "isolated" and
not a good reflection of the centre. He said it was the first time anyone
had escaped since the centre, which can house up to 600 people, opened in
2010.
May
17, 2013 www.brisbanetimes.com.au
More
than 100 staff from a southeast Queensland high security prison are set to
walk off the job for 48 hours. The Southern Queensland Correctional Centre
in Gatton, west of Brisbane, is full with 330 prisoners. Private operator,
Serco, is offering its staff a 2.2 per cent wage increase, which is below
the 2.3 per cent being offered to Queensland's public servants. Uniting
Voice union organiser Michael Clifford said rolling 12-hour stoppages would
start on Sunday morning and continue until Monday afternoon. "We will
then see whether further action is required later in the week," he
said. He said the staff were disappointed by the pay offer after previously
receiving a letter from the company's chief executive, Mark Irwin, which
praised their work. "Since joining Serco in January I have been
incredibly impressed by the staff I have met and your commitment to making
a positive difference," Mr Irwin wrote. "So as we come together
this week to celebrate our achievements from the past 25 years, I want to
take a moment to thank you for your contribution, and to extend that
gratitude to partners and families who support you in what you do." Mr
Clifford said staff believed Serco's wage offer did not keep up with the
cost of living. "CPI nationally is running at 2.5 per cent, so it
doesn't even keep them up with CPI," he said. "The company is
offering 2.2 per cent, while the average pay increase in enterprise
bargaining agreements according to the federal government is 3.8 per
cent," he said. Serco was contacted for comment on Friday afternoon,
but had not replied by Friday evening.
August 15, 2011 9
News
Queensland's opposition has asked the auditor-general to review the
state government's handling of a jail tender it has described as
"dodgy". The government announced last month it would temporarily
mothball Borallon prison in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, and transfer inmates
to a new prison near Gatton due to be opened next year. Meanwhile, the
federal government has confirmed plans to convert the jail into immigration
accommodation, however no final decision has yet been made. Security
company Serco, which manages Borallon jail, has been awarded the contract
to operate the new jail, Southern Queensland Correctional Centre at Spring
Creek. The Liberal National Party (LNP) has labelled this a "dodgy
deal". LNP corrective services spokesman John-Paul Langbroek said the
party had referred the matter to the auditor-general. The auditor-general's
office has confirmed it received the LNP's request but as of Monday
morning, it was yet to view the details. Mr Langbroek argues the government
did not conduct a proper tendering process. "The way this secret deal
between Serco, who currently run the prison at Borallon, and the state
government has been handled raises many questions," he said.
"Under the normal tendering for service process, the contract for
service delivery at the new Gatton prison should have been advertised and
put to the market to ensure the best value for money was achieved.
"This matter deserves due consideration and that's why I have written
to the auditor-general seeking advice on whether this deal is in fact legal
and meets the state government's own rules and guidelines."
Southwark Crown Court, United
Kingdom
April 13, 2012 Yellow Advertiser Today
A FORMER custody officer has been jailed for her part in a plot to smuggle
drugs into Chelmsford Prison. Leanne Bakarr, 37, of Tyas Road, Victoria
Dock, was sentenced to two years and 10 months at Southwark Crown Court on
Monday after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office and
conspiracy to supply cannabis. Her five co-conspirators received more than
three-and-a-half years imprisonment between them. Bakarr, who was employed
at Thames Magistrates’ Court as a Serco prisoner custody officer, handed
cannabis to prisoner Dane Dacas in his cell during a court appearance on
June 2 last year while he was on remand at Chelmsford Prison. Dacas, 20, of
no fixed abode, secreted the drugs and returned to Chelmsford Prison, where
they were recovered by officials. He was sentenced to three months on
Tuesday. Stephen Anderson, 25, and Niaya Brewster, 21, who are serving
prisoners at Chelmsford, had tasked family members Natalie Anderson, 29,
and Joshua Owens, 21, to purchase the drugs and liaise with Bakarr, before
passing them onto her, along with payment for her criminality.
Thameside Prison, London,
England
Jan 15, 2017 standard.co.uk
Jailed: Court officer who smuggled drugs and alcohol into Thameside
prison
Umeir Akhtar, 27, who worked for security firm Serco at Inner London
Crown Court, hid cannabis, alcohol and mobile phones in two prisoner’s
paperwork to be taken into HMP Thameside in May last year. He had also
scrawled his phone number on the paperwork, Wood Green Crown Court heard.
Two mobile phones were also found hidden in a DVD player in the prisoner’s
cell. Detectives later discovered Akhtar had contacted prisoners by phone,
the court was told. In October last year, police also launched a separate investigation
into the Leyton resident over firearms offences. A search of his home, in
Lea Bridge Road, revealed a revolver in a woman’s room. The woman, in her
20s, was charged with possession of a firearm but this charge was later
dropped when Akhtar admitted he had hidden the gun in her room. He admitted
smuggling banned items into a prison on October 13 last year at Southwark
Crown Court. Akhtar was jailed for six years and two months at Wood Green
Crown Court on Thursday. Detective Constable Robert Hinson said:
"Umeir Akhtar abused his position as a Court Officer by providing
three prisoners with mobile phones, a cannabis substitute and alcohol.
"The jail sentence handed to Akhtar today should act as a deterrent to
all court employees who may be asked to traffic prohibited articles for
prisoners in their care."
May
26, 2016 opendemocracy.net
Private prison run by Serco cancelled immigration detainee’s brain scan
Jury hears that HMP Thameside staff didn’t know the rules concerning
hospital appointments. Bruno Dos Santos Inquest, Healthcare staff at
Thameside Prison in London were unaware that a young man in their care was
detained for immigration purposes, which led to him missing a hospital
appointment that might have saved his life, an inquest jury heard yesterday.
Bruno Dos Santos, 25, was detained at HMP Thameside for several months from
September 2013 until May 2014, a court sitting in Dorchester was told
yesterday. In May he was transferred to the Verne Immigration Removal
Centre in Dorset, where he died on 4 June. Dos Santos had a complex medical
history and was taking medication for epilepsy, depression and shoulder
pain. He suffered from severe epileptic fits and had dislocated both
shoulders as a result of frequent seizures. In February 2014, while detained
at Thameside, Dos Santos was assessed by Dr Giovanni Cocco, a consultant
neurologist. Following the appointment Dr Cocco wrote to a GP working at
the prison explaining that the young man’s fits were a result of trauma
after being knocked down by car aged 10. After the car accident Dos Santos
was in a coma for two or three days. He then spent several months in
hospital re-learning how to walk, talk and carry out basic tasks. Dr Cocco
recommended Dos Santos undergo an MRI, EEG and an ECG, and that his
anti-epileptic medication be increased gradually. An MRI appointment was
booked for 23 February. The court heard that Rida Kamsilla, a nurse working
at Thameside, spoke to Dos Santos the day before his appointment on 23
February. When he told her about it, she told the wing officer that Dos
Santos “is not going anywhere tomorrow”. She then passed the same message
on to the senior nurse on duty asking for the appointment to be cancelled.
Nurse Kamsilla told the court that she was following prison policy at the
time, which was that patients should not be given dates regarding external
appointments. This was for security reasons, she said. Nick Brown, the
barrister representing the family, suggested that Nurse Kamsilla had been
“over officious” in making this decision. “It was not your decision to
make,” he said. Instead, he said, she should have passed it on to another
member of staff to carry out a proper risk assessment. She replied that she
was simply following the policy. Brown asked if the policy was written
anywhere and nurse Kamsilla replied that it was not. Brown then questioned
the nurse about Dos Santos’s immigration status.
Brown: “Were you aware that he was an immigration detainee?”
Kamsilla: “No, I was not aware.”
Brown: “Were you aware of the policy on immigration detainees at that
time?”
Kamsilla: “No.”
Brown then read from the Detention Services Order 2012 which states that:
“Every effort must be made to keep and fulfil medical appointments of
detainees, both those arranged prior to and during detention.” The rules
also state that external appointments must be considered on a case by case
basis, he said. This assessment would consider factors such as the
seriousness of the condition of the detainee. “Bruno would have undergone
an MRI if a proper risk assessment had been made?” Brown asked Nurse
Kamsilla. “Yes,” she answered. Earlier, the jury heard that Dr Esther
Okumo, a locum doctor working at Thameside, had also been unaware that Dos
Santos was an immigration detainee and not a prisoner at the time. Dr Okumo
said she was unaware that there are policies governing the treatment of
immigration detainees. Once Dos Santos’s appointment was cancelled there
was no follow up to reschedule, the jury heard. Several months after the
missed appointment, Dr Cocco wrote to Dr Okumo to ask why he had missed the
appointment, and whether another should be booked. Dr Okumo said she was
shocked to discover this and immediately rebooked it. Several times during
her evidence Dr Okumo mentioned the number of prisoners held at Thameside
at the time (approximately 900), and said that errors were sometimes made
and missed appointments were a common occurrences. However, when Brown
asked if the prison was “under staffed” and unable to offer “proper
continuity of care” for prisoners as a result, she said: “I am not going to
admit that. It’s not my place … I’m just telling you what goes on.” The
court also heard from staff at Belmarsh prison, where Dos Santos was held
as prisoner between January and May 2013. He was charged and convicted of
robbery and served a sentence of one year and four months. He became an
immigration detainee in September 2013 when he moved to Thameside. It was
revealed that a GP at Belmarsh, Dr Ekpo said he had referred Dos Santos for
an MRI scan in January 2013, several months before his move to Thameside.
However, there was no record of the referral on the prison’s internal
record system and no appointment was made. On 6 May 2014, the court heard
that Dos Santos told staff at Thameside that he had suffered another fit
during the night. A staff nurse made a note on the prison’s electronic
system for managing medical records for prisoners and included a comment
from Dos Santos. Brown read it aloud to the court: “The last comment that
we have from Bruno is ‘stated that his medication does not work’. He was
transferred to the Verne the next day.” The inquest continues.
May 14, 2013 huffingtonpost.co.uk
Prison reform campaigners have called for urgent
action at Britain's news private jail, which has been put into
"lock-down" in response to the violent gang warfare behind its
bars. In an inspection report, Serco-run Thameside prison in London was
found to keep some prisoners in their cells 23 hours a day, with 60% locked
up all day, in order for staff to cope with the violent offenders. The
Howard League for Penal Reform called the report "truly alarming"
and said it was an embarrassment to the government. The previous system,
where prisoners were allowed out of their cells for most of the day, had
seen an "unacceptable" level of delinquency, the prison said. The
report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that the prison, which opened in
March last year holding 900 male prisoners, had far too high a frequency of
assault, and that staff could not protect prisoners from the violence.
"The prison had taken the unusual step of effectively locking down the
prison, severely curtailing the regime and in particular prisoner access to
time unlocked. "The prison had done little to evaluate the success of
this quite extreme strategy and at the time of our visit there seemed only
vague plans to restore the prison to normality. "The data on assaults,
security report reports and use of force that we examined did not show any
improvement from previous months and we were told that some prisoners got
around restrictions by planning to attend activities so that they could
become involved in fights." Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at
the Howard League for Penal Reform, said in a statement: “Conditions at
Thameside are truly alarming. Violence was so common that the Serco
management put the prison in a state of lockdown, and yet this extreme
measure has done little to bring down the number of attacks. “Staff are
inexperienced and often resort to physical force. The prisoners have no
confidence in them. Despite enforcing one of the most restricted regimes
ever seen by inspectors, this is a large private prison out of control.
“Today’s report should embarrass the government. Less than a week after
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling demanded that prisoners work harder to
earn privileges, this flagship private prison is revealed to be locking up
inmates for 23 hours a day because they don’t have anything constructive to
do. “With a pathetic lack of activities and barely any vocational training
available, Thameside is doing nothing to help prisoners turn their lives
around. It is merely making matters worse. “This is what happens when you
hand the justice system over to vast mult |
