WHAT: SA’s Corrections Officers vote whether to continue a statewide prison lockdown for 72 hours
WHEN: 8am Wednesday the 10th of December 2025
WHERE: Yatala Prison, Grand Junction Road, Northfield
MORE INFO:
SA Justice System in crisis as Corrections Officers vote to enter 72 hour lockdown
Corrections Officers across seven of South Australia's prisons will vote tomorrow morning at 8am on whether to continue a 48 hour strike which has plunged them into an unprecedented lockdown.
They will be joined by Home Detention Officers who will also decide whether to down tools. They are responsible for the ankle monitoring of 1500 offenders who've been sentenced to home detention by judicial officers.
Corrections Officers voted this morning to continue a 24 hour strike for another 24 hours at stop work meetings at Yatala Labour Prison, Port Augusta Prison, Mobilong Prison, Port Lincoln Prison, Cadell Prison, and Adelaide Women’s Prison.
Over 2000 of the state’s prisoners have been confined to their cells since Monday at 7.30am.
Corrections Officers are striking over a marked rise in violence in prisons and a crisis in staffing fuelled by low wages which has seen an exodus of Corrections Officers to other careers.
On Sunday an inmate was savagely beaten into unconsciousness at Yatala - metal plates were surgically inserted into his face to hold it together. Last month at the same prison there were two bloody incidents where prisoners were bashed into unconsciousness.
In October a female inmate used a metal pole to inflict life threatening head and neck injuries on another inmate, severing a finger in the process. A female Corrections Officer had her hand broken while disarming the inmate.
Corrections Officers want safety issues in prisons resolved says Charlotte Watson, General Secretary of the Public Service Association which represents Corrections Officers.
“We need to see safe prisons with a productive stable workforce,” said Ms Watson.
“Violence in our prisons is out of hand and our members won’t take it anymore.
"Corrections Officers are not punching bags.
“Every day I hear of another Corrections Officers leaving for another career, they're voting with their feet.”
Contact: Tim Brunero 0405 285 547