❓ Question regarding communication of Laurie Dodd's violent tendencies between police and Corrective Services, following his escape. The Minister deflects blame to the previous government's contract with Broadspectrum and their security failings.
AnsweredQoN 811Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BROADSPECTRUM —
ESCAPEE — LAURIE DODD
811. Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I have a supplementary question.
That was a very longwinded answer, but let us just try to cut to the chase here. Is the minister saying that the police did
not communicate to the Department of Corrective Services that Dodd was violent?
ESCAPEE — LAURIE DODD
811. Mr S.K. L'ESTRANGE to the Minister for
Corrective Services:
I have a supplementary question.
That was a very longwinded answer, but let us just try to cut to the chase here. Is the minister saying that the police did
not communicate to the Department of Corrective Services that Dodd was violent?
AnswerView source ↗
No,
that is not what I am saying at all. I am saying that when the member's
government downgraded his HSE status, it
remained on the file right up until the time at which it was assessed. There is
an intelligence hole in the information for any prisoner—not
just Dodd—that should flow through from the point of arrest, whether or
not that is in the court itself, right the way through to operations and the
transport company. That is the failing with corrections, which the previous
government left me and which I am going to fix up.
Shall
we have a look at the incident itself? Let us have a look. In respect of the
contract that the previous government signed with Broadspectrum, which
it came in here and crowed about as being $36 million cheaper than Serco's,
it appears—the investigation will confirm this, I presume—that
there were two major failings while those private prison contractors were in
the hospital room with Dodd. One is that they never followed the instructions
given to them by the Department of Corrective Services that Dodd should be
wearing handcuffs. They never followed that, and that is quite clear. The
second issue, which goes to the management of any prisoner, is basic rule
number one: you do not go near the prisoner when you are on your own with him.
You never go near the prisoner when you are on
your own with him, and particularly when they are not shackled. In this case,
this contractor went near Dodd and , unfortunately for him, was violently
assaulted, which allowed Dodd to escape. That is an issue that Broadspectrum is
going to have to resolve
The SPEAKER : Just before we
go on, we have had three questions in 25 minutes. If we could have quicker
questions and quicker answers, it would be good.
that is not what I am saying at all. I am saying that when the member's
government downgraded his HSE status, it
remained on the file right up until the time at which it was assessed. There is
an intelligence hole in the information for any prisoner—not
just Dodd—that should flow through from the point of arrest, whether or
not that is in the court itself, right the way through to operations and the
transport company. That is the failing with corrections, which the previous
government left me and which I am going to fix up.
Shall
we have a look at the incident itself? Let us have a look. In respect of the
contract that the previous government signed with Broadspectrum, which
it came in here and crowed about as being $36 million cheaper than Serco's,
it appears—the investigation will confirm this, I presume—that
there were two major failings while those private prison contractors were in
the hospital room with Dodd. One is that they never followed the instructions
given to them by the Department of Corrective Services that Dodd should be
wearing handcuffs. They never followed that, and that is quite clear. The
second issue, which goes to the management of any prisoner, is basic rule
number one: you do not go near the prisoner when you are on your own with him.
You never go near the prisoner when you are on
your own with him, and particularly when they are not shackled. In this case,
this contractor went near Dodd and , unfortunately for him, was violently
assaulted, which allowed Dodd to escape. That is an issue that Broadspectrum is
going to have to resolve
The SPEAKER : Just before we
go on, we have had three questions in 25 minutes. If we could have quicker
questions and quicker answers, it would be good.
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