An ex-inmate has revealed the diabolical regime among prisoners inside one of the most violent prisons in the country.
Discussions of prisoners being beaten, officers assaulted and suicides attempted are just the tip of the iceberg in recent revelations of life inside Brisbane’s maximum security prison.
Kevin Davenport spoke to the ABC about his two stints behind the bars at Arthur Gorrie, and described it as nasty and incredibly corrupt.
‘I saw someone get sliced from the back of their ear to the front of their jaw’: Kevin Davenport (pictured) opens up about what it’s like inside one of the country’s most violent prisons
Discussions of prisoners being beaten, officers assaulted and suicides attempted are just the tip of the iceburg in recent revelations against Arthur Gorrie, Brisbane’s maximum security prison
Davenport, 24, finished serving a sentence in April after violating terms of his parole, drug related offences, assault of a police officer and fraudulent activity.
He said he wouldn’t wish the happenings within that prison on his worst enemies.
‘I have been eating my dinner and the next thing I have seen someone get sliced from the back of their ear to the front of their jaw and bleed in front of you and there is nothing you can do,’ he said.
Other former inmates and officers anonymously commented on the poor living conditions and overcrowding.
He said he wouldn’t wish the happenings within that prison on his worst enemies
This deadly combination often fuelled inmate violence, sparking a cyclic nature of vengeance and anger.
‘There are so many inmates compared to officers that if you want to bash someone you can. Just drag them into the toilet and off you go,’ a former prisoner said.
However, violence also exists between officers and prisoners.
An officer detailed an attack by staff on an inmate who had barricaded himself in his cell.
Davenport, 24, finished serving a sentence in April after violating terms of his parole, drug related offences, assault of a police officer and fraudulent activity
When they finally got to him, he was dragged into the hallway and beaten to a pulp.
‘They had to radio for an ambulance because he stopped breathing.’
Davenport also told the program the prison’s stance on drugs was minimal, and it was easier to get drugs inside Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre than outside.
According to a report in 2017 by the Queensland Chief Inspector of Prisons, the prison was at a 155 per cent capacity, with aggravated assaults up by 500 per cent and sexual assault up 700 per cent, news.com.au reported.
The report has so far found Arthur Gorrie’s prisoner-on-prisoner violence rate in 2016 was double the rate of the next most violent prison in Australia.
An investigation into Queensland’s prison system and Arthur Gorrie in particular has been launched by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
An investigation into Queensland’s prison system and Arthur Gorrie in particular has been launched by the Crime and Corruption Commission