00:00It was meant to be a temporary solution but has become an ongoing crisis.
00:08More than 100 people were held at Palmerston Watch House over the weekend as prisons overflow.
00:14Young people as young as 11 that I've personally seen in Palmerston Watch House are being held
00:20in Palmerston Watch House with the lights on 24 hours a day in a cell by themselves
00:26with adults in surrounding cells screaming, yelling.
00:31Many of the people in Watch Houses haven't had their day in court.
00:34A woman misidentified as the perpetrator of domestic violence instead of the victim spent
00:40almost a week inside before her case could be heard and cleared.
00:45This is a woman that's been beaten severely, threatened with rape and she was defending
00:50herself and took reasonable action in our view to defend herself.
00:55And she spent five days in Palmerston Watch House until we could sort that out.
00:59The overcrowding creating pressure from all angles.
01:03Police have moved to 12-hour rosters to oversee inmates, something only used in emergencies.
01:10Lawyers not allowed in to see their clients.
01:13We need to find out what they've been charged with.
01:15We need to speak to our client to find out what the circumstances are.
01:19Corrections Minister Matthew Varley says they're working to find more space.
01:24The new Berrimer facility meant to hold 200 men is currently holding more than 400 and is
01:29looking to expand to 600 by the end of August.
01:34Yes we're seeing pressure in the Watch Houses but equally we are working as absolutely fast
01:39as we can to expand the correction system to absorb that growth.
01:42The calls for change are growing more urgent.
01:45The NT Police Association holding concerns not only for the safety of officers but also for
01:51the health of inmates.
01:53Warning another death in custody is imminent if nothing changes.
01:58And with more people being arrested than ever it's a disaster unfolding in real time.
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