NSW: Jailhouse crock: Security in the clink goes down the sink

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2010
NSW: Jailhouse crock: Security in the clink goes down the sink

EDS: Reissuing to clarify dates in final par.



By Miles Godfrey

SYDNEY, April 30 AAP - The boss of NSW's penal system has called for an overhaul of
prison security after alarming revelations of bent staff, extensive smuggling and escape
plots.

NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham listed a catalogue of crooked behaviour
in jails while giving evidence to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)
investigation of suspended prison officer Sebastian Wade.

Mr Woodham said jails needed to install new high-tech gadgets to catch corrupt guards,
rather than keep an eye on inmates.

Wade, a senior prison officer, admitted to the inquiry he smuggled cannabis, steroids,
CDs and sunglasses into John Morony Correctional Facility, in northwestern Sydney.

He said he easily dodged the few security measures in place at the medium-security
jail, adding the cannabis kept the jail "quite mellow".

But Mr Woodham said Wade's case was merely the tip of the iceberg.

The inquiry is at least the sixth investigation into smuggling of contraband by prison
officers held by ICAC since 1998.

The corruption watchdog has heard prisoners at John Morony made 1023 calls on smuggled
mobile phones during a three-month period, half of which were said to be about drugs.

Mr Woodham said he was unsurprised at the figures.

"Recently a prisoner at Lithgow made so many more calls than that on a mobile phone
that was smuggled into Lithgow jail," he told the inquiry on Friday.

"So that is alarming, but it doesn't surprise me."

Mr Woodham said he also knew of cases of prison officers dealing drugs and stealing.

"I can remember some incidents at Long Bay and other places where staff were pilfering.

We're talking about a very small number of staff. The majority of our staff are good honest
people," the commissioner said.

"I remember one occasion four years ago where if staff wanted to trade drugs with one
another, one of the safest places would be inside the jail."

Prisoners had escaped from NSW jails and others had been caught hatching elaborate
plans to flee, Mr Woodham said.

He said the issue needed urgent attention, including using new technology to bolster security.

"Security right across the board ... prisoners escaping that shouldn't have escaped,"

Mr Woodham told the inquiry.

"Some of the escape equipment we've found inside the centres is some of the best-made
ladders, things like that, just shouldn't be made ... should be detected.

"It's caused me to discuss with my minister about bringing in a very professional person
to review security in a number of jails and I think about 15 correctional centres in this
department."

Having biometric systems such as iris scanners and finger printing at John Morony may
have prevented Wade from smuggling contraband items, Mr Woodham said.

The technology was already common in high-security prisons, he said.

There should also be greater use of sniffer dogs.

But Mr Woodham stressed the vast majority of prison workers were honest and hard working.

"The absolute majority of prison officers do a great job. They have my absolute admiration,"

Mr Woodham said.

The commissioner said there were currently 31 correctional facilities holding 10,400
inmates in NSW. They are staffed by 3500 prison officers.

The four-day ICAC inquiry ended on Friday.

ICAC Commissioner David Ipp will receive submissions until early May and report his
findings at a later date.

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KEYWORD: ICAC MORONY WRAP (REISSUING)

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