Event: Queensland

Men charged with alleged prison rapes were allowed to stay in shared cells – against strict protocols – by Queensland corrections staff who mistakenly believed their cases were “closed” and that they posed no risk, a report by the state’s ombudsman has found.The ombudsman’s inspection report of the Brisbane correctional centre raises a number of concerns about the facility, including extensive overcrowding, health facilities that are not fit for purpose and complaints that chicken served to detainees and staff is often undercooked.Cells at the prison are primarily designed for single occupancy. Under inspection “standards”, prisoners are to be accommodated solo in cells unless they request to be placed with a cellmate.But the ombudsman found the Brisbane facility was operating at 168% of its design capacity, meaning that most often people in custody are “doubled” up in cells.Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailThe report revealed concerns about how prisons across Queensland were documenting and responding to allegations of sexual assault, in particular when deciding whether to place people in single- or double-occupancy cells.The inspection found that “circumstances where prisoners who were vulnerable or who had previously experienced or alleged sexual assault by a cellmate were sharing a cell”.It also “identified three incidents where a prisoner was sharing a cell after they were alleged to have sexually assaulted their cellmate”.In one case, a prisoner was transferred to another correctional centre while under investigation for alleged sexual assault. He was later charged with the alleged rape of a former cellmate, and details of the charge were added to his case notes.But the following day, staff added another case note – a “cell sharing review” – that found there were “no apparent identified risks or factors that would prevent shared cell accommodation”. Corrections staff told the ombudsman that workers at the other…