JOHN HEFFERNAN

THE closure of Grafton Jail dominated the Upper House inquiry into NSW jail downsizing and closures. Christian Democrat Member of the Legislative Council and select committee chair Paul Green said it wasn't surprising most of the submissions came from Grafton following the local reaction in July last year. "We can't do much more than ask people to write in and the majority of people did from Grafton," Mr Green said. A report should be tabled in June after the final hearing wa

SECURITY and cleanliness at the Tamworth Correctional Centre were two issues under scrutiny during a visit from a NSW Department of Corrective Services delegation yesterday. The centre’s governor and North West region superintendent John Heffernan said a delegation visited every six months to inspect the centre’s functions such as inmates’ needs, adherence to department policies and any complaints Yesterday’s delegation included senior assistant commissioner Ron Woodham, Nort

GRAFTON jail's hiring of casual workers straight from the local community is welcome news, but smacks of desperation, claims a former governor of the jail. The NSW Department of Justice has placed classified advertisements in The Daily Examiner calling for "highly motivated individuals who are interested in providing high-standard security and containment services". An information session for potential applicants will be held today at the jail between noon and 1pm.

THE new jail for Grafton heralds a golden time for the city say politicians, while those closer to coal face warn of a sting in the tail in the public/private partnership side of the announcement. Clarence Valley Mayor Richie Williamson says the jail is the icing on the cake for the region following on from $4.5 billion worth of highway upgrade and bridge works. "There's going to be a lot of jobs from it in the construction phase plus, I've been told, close to 200 permanent j

LAST week I was reading the newspaper over breakfast when I almost choked on my cornflakes. The caption staring at me read "Prison sickies: Rise in jail escapes blamed on alarming staff shortages". After 30 years with NSW Corrections, I am quite aware of staff sick leave being an 'issue.' During my 10 years as a prison governor sick leave was blamed for everything from budget blowouts to lost productivity but never, ever, had I heard of staff absenteeism being somehow linked