Rapist officer inquiry sparks prison mandates, CCTV

A man sits at a table.
Former prison guard Wayne Astill was jailed for 23 years in 2023 after abusing nine female inmates. -AAP Image

Failures that allowed unconscionable crimes to occur inside the NSW prison system and meant staff who tried to speak up were silenced will be addressed with a suite of measures.

Former corrections officer Wayne Astill was jailed for 23 years in 2023 after abusing nine women while working as an officer at the Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney's west.

A subsequent inquiry highlighted multiple failures within the state's prison system, including missed red flags that should have stopped Astill ever being employed as a corrections officer.

All recommendations from the inquiry, which delivered its findings in March, would be accepted in full or in principle, the state government said on Friday.

With funding from a $30 million package, all prisons will be required to store CCTV footage for three months, Dillwynia will get more coverage and uniformed prison staff there have been told to wear body-worn cameras.

All new staff working in women's prisons will also have to undergo mandatory training concerning female inmates.

Legal changes will also mandate reporting of misconduct and reduce barriers to prosecute staff in inappropriate relationships with inmates.

Inmates and staff also have more ways to raise issues, while Astill's victims have access to trauma counselling.

Astill's crimes and the problems revealed in the subsequent inquiry were "deplorable and inexcusable", the government said.

Some matters pointing to serious problems had been detailed in reports and reviews over the prior decade but were ignored.

"The Astill inquiry found that our prison system had not met the expectations of the community, the NSW government, or the majority of its 10,000 staff," Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said.

"These reforms will help keep inmates safe and they're also designed to fix the culture that has seen too many good staff let down."

The state was accused of running a kangaroo court inside prisons in August after a scathing report found thousands of conduct charges could be incorrect.

The NSW Ombudsman found thousands of prison punishments each year were likely applied unfairly amid sometimes blatantly unlawful processes.

Changes were being implemented immediately to reduce the risk of invalid disciplinary decisions, Mr Chanthivong said.

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