NT Government must act: Women transferred to Darwin Prison facing dangerous heat and overcrowding
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro
In Darwin, every day of the last two weeks has reached temperatures over 34°. Those temperatures could make anyone unwell, but imagine if you were in overcrowded accommodation, or even stuck outside with no access to cooling? This is what the women in Darwin Correctional Centre have been facing.
Without warning, a group of incarcerated women have been moved from Alice Springs to Darwin Correctional Centre, which is built for 80 people but now has over 100!
Reports gathered by the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls suggest that the women are being subjected to dangerously hot living conditions, forced to sleep on the floor, and broken air conditioning. On top of that, women are reporting that they’re being locked out of their rooms during the day, left outside in the heat with hardly any shade.
This is an unacceptable danger for anyone.
With temperatures reaching dangerous levels and more heatwaves expected in the Northern Territory over summer, these women’s safety is at risk. The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls is leading efforts to ensure protections for these women, but it’s difficult to even get information about the conditions inside the Correctional Centre..
This isn’t the only dangerously hot prison in Australia.
In Western Australia’s Roebourne Prison, which lacks air conditioning, temperatures soared over 50°C during the summer of 2022. This created life-threatening conditions for the people inside, 90% of whom are Indigenous. Failing to provide cool accommodation in these deadly hot locations demonstrates an ongoing recklessness with people’s health during heatwaves, which should be unacceptable regardless but especially so in the context of the ongoing crisis of Indigenous deaths in custody.
The NT Government is responsible for the safety of all Territorians. We’re calling on them to act now to ensure the safety of these women.
We’re sending this letter to Chief Minister Finocchiaro asking the NT Government to:
Provide a clear timeline for when these women will be safely returned to Alice Springs.
Take immediate action to ensure the Darwin Correctional Centre meets basic health standards, including functional cooling and safe living conditions.
Too often, people in prison are forgotten. We know that this letter will be more powerful if we can show that lots of people are paying attention. Will you sign on?
Sponsored by
To:
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Chief Minister Finocchiaro,
We are writing to urgently address the concerning conditions facing incarcerated women who have recently been transferred from the Alice Springs Correctional Facility to the Darwin Correctional Centre. We urge you to provide a clear timeline for their return to Alice Springs and to take immediate steps to ensure their safety, and the safety of all incarcerated people at risk in the current heatwaves.
Reports from the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls indicate that Sector 4 of the Darwin Correctional Centre is significantly overcrowded, with over 100 women in a facility designed to hold a maximum of 80. This overcrowding has forced some women to sleep on mattresses on the floor, compounding their vulnerability and compromising their safety. Furthermore, there are alarming accounts of non-functioning air conditioning, inadequate cooling facilities, and prolonged outdoor confinement, exposing women to extreme heat conditions without sufficient shade or relief. Such conditions are dangerous, particularly in the Northern Territory’s sweltering climate, and pose serious health risks.
We note that Darwin has been experiencing heatwave conditions in recent days and those dangerous temperatures are projected to continue. We are specifically concerned about the impact of exposure to dangerous temperatures on these women’s physical and mental health, especially those who have disabilities, chronic illnesses or are on medications that may increase their risk.
We request that you address these urgent concerns and ensure that all incarcerated individuals are protected from heat-related illness and the adverse effects of overcrowding. It is critical that the Northern Territory government fulfills its obligation to uphold the fundamental rights of all individuals in custody, including maintaining safe, humane conditions that safeguard their well-being.
We request:
1. A clear timeline for when these women will be safely returned to Alice Springs.
2. Immediate measures to ensure that conditions at the Darwin Correctional Centre meet essential health and safety standards, including operational cooling systems and sufficient space to accommodate all individuals with dignity and care.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We look forward to your prompt response and to seeing immediate action taken to ensure the rights and well-being of these women.