Burnout expected to worsen for Northern Territory's prison staff

The NT government's new bail laws are tipped to lead to more prison sentences, threatening to increase workloads for prison officers.

Transcript

00:00This week in Alice Springs Prison, there have been rolling lockdowns and just a few overworked

00:08officers.

00:09We have had two or three officers dealing with 700 prisoners.

00:12Amid a surge in prisoner numbers, the union representing around 500 staff in the NT prison

00:17system say their members are at breaking point.

00:21The tensions between officers and management are rising and it's rising rapidly.

00:25They're exhausted.

00:26They're working 16 hour shifts.

00:29There is an expectation that these officers need to come in early before their shift and

00:33to stay back.

00:34The police commissioner expecting that pressure on the system to mount amid a surge in domestic

00:39violence call outs and arrests over the new year.

00:43We look at up to 100 calls a day.

00:45Tomorrow will increase probably, I think it's about up to 20%.

00:48It's people who are at home together, spending a lot more time together, drinking a lot more,

00:54family visiting and tensions fray.

00:56That comes a week before the rollout of Declan's Law, the centrepiece of the government's winning

01:00election pitch.

01:02The Attorney General today declaring the government will push even harder if the tweaks to bail

01:06laws don't result in more jail sentences.

01:09If those details emerge that it's not working and our community are still not safe and those

01:15numbers continue to soar, then we will ensure that we do everything that we can so that

01:21our community is safe.

01:23There were 21 alleged breaches of bail heard in the NT courts today, cases which weren't

01:28judged under the NT's new laws.

01:30But the government anticipates that from next week, a breach of bail charge will more likely

01:35result in a jail term and that'll be after a busy 24 hours for police.

01:40Historically we've seen up to 50 arrests every New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so we're

01:46preparing for that but we hope that's not the reality.

01:48A crisis expected to worsen before it improves.