127: Inspection of Karnet Prison Farm

Karnet Prison Farm is a minimum-security prison for adult males, with a focus on preparing prisoners to re-enter the community. Karnet is a working farm, and a vital link in the Department of Justice’s food supply chain. The farm includes an abattoir and dairy, and produces fresh meat, milk, eggs, fruit, and vegetables for the …

Karnet has a long history of offering prisoners meaningful training, rehabilitation and preparation for end of sentence release. It operates as a working farm and makes a significant contribution to the food supply chain for the entire prison system. Some Karnet prisoners also undertake valuable community work which assists in their reintegration and preparation for …

Karnet had a proactive, engaged and organised peer support team, led by a long-term Prison Support Officer (PSO), who provided an exceptional service to prisoners. Karnet had established a prison council as a representative forum for prisoners. The historically low number of Aboriginal prisoners at Karnet remained an issue. Many Aboriginal prisoners felt that staff …

The report made four recommendations as follows: Recommendation 1 Deliver tailored and compulsory cultural diversity training for all staff. Recommendation 2 Increase counselling services to prisoners at Karnet. Recommendation 3 Review the layout of the gatehouse to improve functionality. Recommendation 4 Assess the costs and benefits of expanding prison industries at Karnet.