Snapshot

Brisbane Correctional Centre (the centre) is located in the Brisbane suburb of Wacol on the traditional land of the Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples. 

Although operating as a reception centre for prisoners awaiting placement at another prison, the length of time prisoners stay at the centre has increased. This has resulted in significant overcrowding and there have been limited infrastructure changes implemented to address the increase in prisoner numbers at the centre. Due to overcrowding, prisoners are locked in their cells with their cellmate for around 20 hours each day.

Our inspection found positive practices at the centre, which indicated that most staff are doing their best in these challenging circumstances. These include:

  • Reception staff work effectively in a busy environment with limited space.
  • Staff in the specialised units demonstrated a trauma-informed approach. 
  • Use of force incidents are managed appropriately and practice improvements identified and implemented. 
  • Visit staff treated visitors with respect and visit applications were processed efficiently.
  • Escort officers treated prisoners attending hospital with compassion. 

We have also made recommendations about areas for improvement, many of which are associated with the issues of overcrowding and limited infrastructure in the centre, including:

  • reviewing bullying and violence reduction policies to consider the impact of overcrowding 
  • ensuring all prisoners have access to purposeful activity, clear and accurate information about education opportunities, and increased opportunities for employment
  • developing an action plan based on the Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) Drug and Alcohol Strategy 2020–2025 to reduce demand and harm
  • reviewing record management processes 
  • reviewing the medical centre facilities to ensure it can provide community equivalent services to the number of men at the centre.

At a system level, we also identified that QCS should:

  • address overcrowding and reduce the use of modified unit routines
  • improve decision-making processes for shared cell accommodation, including processes to identify prisoners under investigation for sexually assaulting other prisoners
  • review options for increasing staff presence in the units at night 
  • review programs offered to prisoners and ensure waitlists are managed appropriately.

Brisbane Correctional Centre

Brisbane Correctional Centre entrance

Brisbane Correctional Centre (the centre) is a secure facility for male prisoners. It accommodates prisoners on remand primarily but can also accommodate sentenced prisoners. The centre also acts as a transit prison for men who are being treated at the Princess Alexandra Hospital but are being held in another prison. As prisoner numbers have grown, it has moved from being primarily a reception centre to accommodating both remand and sentenced prisoners. 

The centre offers substance use and resilience programs, and prisoners can access education courses delivered within the centre and external self-paced courses. Prisoners are also employed at the centre in jobs including the laundry, kitchen, bulk store and landscaping/groundskeeping work. Essential workers remain in the centre for longer periods of time. 

The centre is one of only 3 prisons in Queensland to also have a maximum security unit.

  • Location: Brisbane Correctional Centre is located in the Brisbane suburb of Wacol, approximately 17 km south-west of the central business district on the traditional land of the Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples.
  • Onsite inspection dates: 2–6 December 2024
  • On 2 December 2024, the centre had:
  • 892 prisoners
  • 560 cells
  • 1,014 beds
  • an operating capacity of 996 (number of prisoners the centre is approved to hold)
  • 26% of prisoners at the centre identifying as Aboriginal men or Torres Strait Islander men.
  • As of June 2024, the centre was operating and accommodating:
  • 168% more prisoners than the number of purpose-built cells available
  • Medical: The Brisbane Correctional Centre medical centre is managed by West Moreton Hospital and Health Service.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1
Recommendation withdrawn.
Recommendation 2
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that prisoners receive their reception call within 24 hours of admission.
Recommendation 3
West Moreton Hospital and Health Service and Queensland Corrective Services identify a more suitable location for health assessments to improve prisoner privacy.
Recommendation 4

Brisbane Correctional Centre improves the induction process by:

  1. reviewing the effectiveness of changes made to the induction process
  2. providing the Prisoner Induction Handbook to all prisoners
  3. delivering it in a way that meets the needs of prisoners by using visual aids, a centre specific easy-read version of the Prisoner Induction Handbook, and other resources
  4. amending the induction program to include a discussion about sexual assault and ensure all topics in the Custodial Operations Practice Directive: Reception Processes – Admission and Assessments are covered.
Recommendation 5
Recommendation withdrawn.
Recommendation 6
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that legal resources are current and accessible to all prisoners.
Recommendation 7
Queensland Corrective Services and Brisbane Correctional Centre soundproof the interview rooms at the centre to ensure privacy for conversations held in those rooms.
Recommendation 8
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that maximum security unit staff maximise opportunities for meaningful interactions with prisoners. Where it is safe and possible to do so, interactions about sensitive matters should be face-to-face in a private setting to enable open communication. Where face-to-face interactions are offered but declined by the prisoner, this should be recorded in their case notes.
Recommendation 9

Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that:

  1. maximum security unit prisoners have access to purposeful activities and exercise equipment
  2. access to exercise equipment is based on individual risk assessments 
  3. out-of-cell time is monitored for maximum security unit prisoners, and staff proactively develop interventions for prisoners who consistently refuse out-of-cell time
  4. withdrawn.
Recommendation 10
Queensland Corrective Services prioritises the development of strategies to improve the completion and recording of cell sharing risk assessments as required by the Custodial Operations Practice Directive: Prisoner Accommodation Management – Cell Allocation.
Recommendation 11
Queensland Corrective Services ensures the safety of prisoners by auditing the Integrated Offender Management System record of all prisoners charged with a sexual offence while in custody to ensure they are not sharing a cell.
Recommendation 12

Queensland Corrective Services ensures the safety of prisoners by:

  1. amending the Custodial Operations Practice Directive: Prisoner Accommodation Management – Cell Allocation to make it clear that prisoners must not share a cell if they have been charged with or convicted of sexually assaulting another prisoner in custody
  2. developing a way for staff to easily identify prisoners who cannot share a cell because they are under investigation for sexually assaulting another prisoner while in custody or have been charged with or convicted of sexually assaulting another prisoner.
 
Recommendation 13
Brisbane Correctional Centre reviews its Violence Prevention Framework to include ways to reduce bullying and violence that may occur as a result of overcrowding in the centre.
Recommendation 14
Brisbane Correctional Centre improves the blue letter process by ensuring that responses address all of the prisoner’s concerns and where substantiated, provide an explanation to the prisoner about how the issue occurred.
Recommendation 15
Brisbane Correctional Centre formalises the Prisoner Advisory Committee process, ensuring that scheduled meeting dates are set out in advance and members are provided with meeting agendas, minutes for previous meetings and outcomes of issues raised.
Recommendation 16
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that prisoners can access request forms in all units and that staff support prisoners in submitting requests.
Recommendation 17
Queensland Corrective Services investigates the implementation of in-cell technology to more efficiently manage prisoner requests.
Recommendation 18
Brisbane Correctional Centre delivers additional training to all staff to encourage pro-social engagement and improved service delivery.
Recommendation 19
Recommendation withdrawn.
Recommendation 20

Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that:

  1. out-of-cell time is accurately recorded
  2. the modified unit routine is amended so that out-of-cell time allows prisoners equitable access to services and privileges.
Recommendation 21

Queensland Corrective Services conducts a statewide review of the use of modified unit routines to identify:

  1. improvements to the current modified unit routines such as (but not limited to) alternating unlock times or rotating one prisoner out of each cell at a time
  2. alternative strategies for reducing the effects of overcrowding on prisoners and increasing the amount of out-of-cell time provided.
Recommendation 22
Brisbane Correctional Centre improves and monitors the efficiency of processing prisoner phone contact applications and monitors changes to prevent backlogs.
Recommendation 23

Brisbane Correctional Centre improves visits by:

  1. ensuring contact visits are not affected by weather conditions
  2. providing non-contact booth facilities and Virtual Personal Visits that reduce the likelihood of conversations being overheard by other visitors and prisoners.
Recommendation 24
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that redeployment of activities officers occurs only as a last resort.
Recommendation 25
Queensland Corrective Services and Brisbane Correctional Centre provide suitable gym equipment for prisoners at Brisbane Correctional Centre.
Recommendation 26
Brisbane Correctional Centre provides prisoners on the oval with sun protection and access to water.
Recommendation 27
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that all prisoners have access to a range of art, craft and hobby activities and that prisoners from priority groups are given opportunities to participate in cultural activities suited to their needs.
Recommendation 28
Brisbane Correctional Centre maintains an updated library catalogue and ensures that all prisoners are able to access the library and its resources.
Recommendation 29

Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that the Food Safety Plan sets out:

  1. the process for ensuring all food is properly cooked
  2. a consistent method for ensuring food is served to prisoners at an appropriate temperature.
Recommendation 30
Brisbane Correctional Centre repairs the seals on the delivery boxes to ensure appropriate food temperatures are maintained during delivery to the units.
Recommendation 31
Brisbane Correctional Centre reviews how requests for religious items are processed to ensure these are managed in a timely and consistent manner.
Recommendation 32
Queensland Corrective Services provides chaplaincy services for Muslim prisoners to allow them to practise their religion.
Recommendation 33
Queensland Corrective Services commissions an independent review all prisoner wages and allowances to ensure they are adjusted in line with inflation and matched to a percentage of the national minimum wage.
Recommendation 34
Recommendation withdrawn.
Recommendation 35

Queensland Corrective Services provides a new medical centre that:

  1. allows the provision of services to the current population at the centre, and allows for future growth in prisoner numbers
  2. includes consultation rooms for patient privacy and confidentiality
  3. includes workspaces for staff in line with workplace health and safety requirements
  4. prevents prisoners in the waiting room from observing other prisoners receiving treatment.
Recommendation 36
Brisbane Correctional Centre and West Moreton Hospital and Health Service develop a written agreement that outlines how the 2 agencies will work together to maintain privacy and confidentiality for prisoners without compromising safety.
Recommendation 37

West Moreton Hospital and Health Service provides training to healthcare staff to ensure that:

  1. language used when referring to prisoners is respectful
  2. staff have an awareness of personal biases that may impact communication with prisoners and service delivery.
Recommendation 38

Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that:

  1. hand and mouth checks and cup/water bottle inspections are conducted when administering medication to prisoners
  2. when administering medications to prisoners locked in their cell, staff identify them using their Integrated Offender Management System offender number, last name, date of birth and muster book photo
  3. cell doors are opened to deliver medication to cells that do not contain a hatch.
Recommendation 39
West Moreton Hospital and Health Service provides a system for delivering medication to the units that complies with health and safety requirements.
Recommendation 40
West Moreton Hospital and Health Service provides an automated medication dispensing system at Brisbane Correctional Centre.
Recommendation 41
Brisbane Correctional Centre expands the range of cultural activities available to Aboriginal prisoners and Torres Strait Islander prisoners, including music, art, dance and ceremonies.
Recommendation 42
Brisbane Correctional Centre provides an appropriate venue for the Elders program that is culturally safe, protects participants from weather conditions and has adequate toilet facilities.
Recommendation 43

Queensland Corrective Services improves its practices to ensure prisoner safety at night by:

  1. reviewing options for increasing staff presence in the units, and
  2. implementing measures that require staff to regularly monitor prisoners and identify and respond to risks as they occur. 
Recommendation 44
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that officers use the muster book to confirm the identity of all prisoners during musters.
Recommendation 45

Brisbane Correctional Centre develops a clear approach to the use of in-cell CCTV monitoring that:

  1. outlines when a prisoner requires in-cell monitoring using CCTV
  2. informs prisoners when in-cell CCTV cameras are not in use or not being monitored by staff
  3. provides training for staff on the process to be followed when a prisoner covers their in-cell camera.
Recommendation 46
Queensland Correctional Services and Brisbane Correctional Centre ensure the CCTV system in use is fit for purpose.
Recommendation 47
Brisbane Correctional Centre reviews the operating system used in the control rooms to ensure officers can efficiently and effectively manage movements across the centre. The operating system must be updated if it cannot be effectively maintained.
Recommendation 48

In consultation with West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane Correctional Centre develops an action plan based on the Queensland Corrective Services Drug and Alcohol Strategy 2020–2025 to:

  1. address the unique issues faced by a reception and remand centre
  2. provide targeted interventions aimed at reducing demand and harm.
Recommendation 49
Brisbane Correctional Centre ensures that prisoners are never subjected to strip searches as a staff training tool, and records for removal of clothing searches meet legislative requirements.
Recommendation 50
Queensland Correctional Services reviews the outcome of the body-scanning technology trial at Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre to consider implementing this technology in all correctional centres to remove the need for removal of clothing searches.
Recommendation 51

Brisbane Correctional Centre:

  1. advises all visitors at the time of booking that they require approval and a medical certificate to bypass the roto-turn if they have a metal implant
  2. ensures that there is a consistent process for managing visitors with metal implants who arrive at the centre for their first visit without a medical certificate and approval to bypass the roto-turn.
Recommendation 52
To support rehabilitation, Queensland Corrective Services reviews the criminogenic and reintegration programs offered to prisoners at Brisbane Correctional Centre. This review should consider how program sizes and waitlists are managed in the centre with reception and remand prisoners.
Recommendation 53
Queensland Corrective Services produces accurate information about education courses that can be provided to prisoners in a format that is accessible to all prisoners, including those who may have difficulty reading.
Recommendation 54
Brisbane Correctional Centre encourages and supports the completion of literacy and numeracy assessments to support enrolment in education courses and ensures vacancies are filled by prisoners with the greatest need.
Recommendation 55

Queensland Corrective Services supports Brisbane Correctional Centre to improve opportunities for employment by:

  1. increasing the number of available employment opportunities, including addressing inequality for protection prisoners
  2. ensuring that prisoner unit workers undertaking the same duties as prisoners in a paid role are remunerated and do not work as unpaid volunteers.
Recommendation 56

Brisbane Correctional Centre improves the transparency of employment decisions by:

  1. advising prisoners of the reasons why their employment application has been refused
  2. introducing an oversight mechanism for unit workers to ensure decisions about recruitment and termination are fair and consistent.
Recommendation 57
Brisbane Correctional Centre provides training for all staff so that they understand the circumstances and process for engaging professional interpreter and translation services for prisoners with an inability or limited ability to speak or understand the English language.
Recommendation 58
Brisbane Correctional Centre develops an evidence-based local operational plan tailored to the specific needs of the centre’s prisoner population.
Recommendation 59
Brisbane Correctional Centre reviews its record management processes and develops an action plan to address issues identified.