Source : Perth Now news
A minister has insisted South Australia’s prisons are secure after an inmate was able to sneak out and return two hours later with a stash of booze.
In a bizarre incident last week, an inmate of Adelaide Women’s Prison wandered out of its prerelease centre unaccompanied.
She then returned to the facility two hours later, bringing several bottles of alcohol in with her.
On Thursday, Minister for Correctional Services Michael Brown was quizzed in parliament over the debacle, which had raised serious questions about the facility’s security and safety.
But Mr Brown insisted the breach was an isolated incident and not a sign that the state’s prisons were not secure.
“I can assure the people of South Australia that their correctional service provides absolute protection for the community at large,” he said.
“I do not want to downplay things, one person being absent from a correctional facility is a problem, that is why there is a review under way.
“But we are talking about somebody from a prerelease minimum security centre being absent for two hours. Let’s not overblow things and alarm the community unnecessarily.”
But concerns were raised about what other items could be brought back into prison if the inmate was able to smuggle in a supply of booze.
“What measures are in place that would prevent an inmate sneaking back in with a weapon?” opposition correctional services spokesman Tim Whetstone said.
“This is not the first time a prisoner has been able to escape – I think this is about the second in six months.”
Mr Brown responded: “I can assure the House, proper security provisions are in place and a review is currently under way after this incident occurred.”
