LOCKDOWN at the Alexander Maconochie Centre is limiting prisoners to one 10-minute period a day out their cells in order to make a phone call, despite what’s claimed to be a lawful entitlement to one hour. The lockdown follows a new detainee to the prison testing positive for covid in Saturday (September 11).  

In a message to prisoners, commissioner Ray Johnson said: “The detainee is currently isolating and receiving the care they need. The detainee was a new reception to the AMC in the evening of 10 September 2021 and he has been isolated in the management unit since his induction”

He said a small number of detainees had been identified as close contacts of the positive detainee and were being isolated and tested

“The safety of all staff and detainees is our number priority [sic] and remains at the fore front [sic] of our decision-making during this time. I will provide updates as necessary. If you require any further information about this situation, please speak to an officer in your area,” he said.

However an inmate of AMC said that beyond Mr Johnson’s short message they have been given no information officially.

“Unit staff have answered some questions, but the answers have been based on conjecture rather than fact,” the inmate said.

“Prisoners are concerned that whatever measures are put in place to deal with a legitimate health issue will remain in place longer than necessary.

“Due to the everyday conditions, AMC is already a highly volatile environment, when the basics such as visits and exercise are removed in their entirety, things can become unbearable very quickly.”

The inmate complained about the prison’s approach to vaccinations and claimed there had been little information or encouragement for prisoners.

Yesterday chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman told the daily covid press briefing that 74 per cent of all AMC inmates had had at least their first dose of vaccine and 55 per cent  their second.

However, the inmate said vaccination hesitancy among both prisoners and staff was related to the low levels of education common to both cohorts.

“Simply providing a fact-sheet to prisoners did little to counter the scaremongering that commercial networks maintained for such a significant period,” he said.

“Though this may have been sufficient for some sections of the community, I think that it failed to take into account the make-up of the prison population and the unique disadvantage faced by prisoners. I would have liked to see an approach that actively sought to provide prisoners with factual information in a format that ensured the important health message was received and understood by all.”

“CityNews” understands that all indigenous prisoners, comprising 30 per cent of the prison population, have been fully vaccinated by the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Centre’s outreach clinic at the AMC. The number of vaccinated prison officers is unknown.