ACT Corrections has recruited 22 new staff to address some of the critical issues highlighted by union members at Canberra's jail and within the correctional system.
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The Corrections arm of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate had been desperate for new recruits, with the jail operation racking up a huge overtime bill.
Understaffing at the jail has been at such a chronic level that overtime hours for corrections officers at Canberra's Alexander Maconochie Centre has more than tripled in the past five years, costing almost $7 million in overtime pay.
Corrections Minister Mick Gentleman announced the new recruits on Friday, saying the new staff have undergone "extensive training to prepare them for the challenges of working within a correctional environment each day".
He said that the hiring of more officers was to "relieve pressure on current staff, who I know are working very hard".
Shortfalls in training and equipment for corrections members have been among the consistent issues highlighted by the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), with officers unable to attend mandatory training days because of ongoing roster shortages.
These issues were demonstrated yet again during an incident at the prison on May 12, when inmates were behaving aggressively and were not compliant with staff directions.
The issues escalated for some hours within the prison but were finally resolved as a result of day shift staff remaining on site and assisting the smaller night shift. Fire crews were called after a fire was lit inside one cell block, and some prisoners had to be relocated.
It was the second major incident at the jail within the past six months, with a detainee riot and multiple fires in November causing $5.7 million in damage.
The union has welcomed the so-called "Blueprint for Change" which was presented by the government after that incident, and has been railing against the ACT government for months over the lack of consistent and ongoing training for its corrections officers.
"Riots don't wait for reports, and we need some action now to make sure everyone is trained up as well as we possibly can," CPSU's regional secretary Madeline Northam said.
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