2024-03-06
The report from an independent inquiry into the sexual assaults committed by former Corrections Officer Wayne Astill against female prisoners at Dillwynia Prison has today been released.
Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said, “The report is scathing. It shows the rotten core of our current corrections system and exposes a seriously harmful culture that allowed Wayne Astill to assault female prisoners for half a decade,”
“The findings from the report are damning. The integrity of the systems designed to protect inmates and staff have been found to be shot through. The systems are beyond broken, they are corrupted in the most perverse possible ways and serious and commensurate action must be taken to right these wrongs,”
“There must be immediate root and branch reform. An emergency management taskforce must be set up to implement all recommendations, including an immediate restructure of the myriad of systems, regulations and policies that obfuscated reports and investigations of misconduct,”
“This report exposes the shocking failures rampant within our prison systems. Not only did Astill offend for half a decade, but his crimes were systematically covered up by colleagues and dismissed by high-ranking managers,”
“Wayne Astill is not the only guilty party in this case. Those responsible for the gross misscarriage of justice that took place at Dillwynia must be held to account. There are senior officials involved who actively suppressed the offences taking place. There is no place for this kind of impunity and corruption in our justice system. Commissioner Kevin Corcoran and Governor of Dillwynia Shari Martin must resign immediately and action against them must now be considered,”
“The Inquiry found that either corruption or incompetence were at the root of the appointment of Wayne Astill to his position at Dillwynia. Again we see a culture of wrong-doing and cover up taking place at the heart of our justice system. This is the same culture that buoyed his actions to the catastrophic scale and led to the suffering of 14 prisoners for half a decade before he was finally charged,”
“Prisons should be places of rehabilitation, they should be places of care. How can we expect inmates to have any chance of improving their lives when they are exposed, silenced and abused by an officer charged with ensuring their safety,”
“The state of Corrective Services NSW is diabolical. The culture that allowed Wayne Astill to offend and assault prisoners for five years is one that must be stamped out with the utmost urgency. It is clear that the entire system needs an immediate rehaul,”
“Inmates at Dillwynia were failed in the most extreme instances. The damage to these women’s lives is irreparable, and their inherent rights for dignity and humane treatment were disregarded. Steps must be taken to account for the suffering of these victims at the hands of Wayne Astll and the State of NSW,” Ms Higginson said.