Queensland Prison Officers Association president Steve Burrows believes single-sex prisons are the "best way to go" after in was revealed corrections officers are increasingly engaging in sexual affairs with inmates. Source: Supplied
QUEENSLAND prison staff are increasingly engaging in sexual affairs with inmates amid concerns their actions are compromising safety and security.
There were five more cases substantiated in the past 18 months, mostly involving female prison guards, prompting renewed calls for the consideration of single-sex prisons.
At least 38 investigations into inappropriate affairs at Queensland prisons have occurred since 2009, uncovering "sexually explicit" letters, favours and exchanges of gifts with prisoners, a Sunday Mail Right to Information investigation has revealed.
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All staff involved, including a kitchen worker, have since resigned and two more cases are still under investigation.
Queensland Prison Officers Association president Steve Burrows said inappropriate relationships were "dangerous".
"There is no place in our prisons for staff who are prepared to act inappropriately ... they do have the capacity to be very dangerous in the workplace," he said.
"It does pose a huge security risk to the centre and all the staff who work there."
Mr Burrows said single-sex prisons should be considered but any shift in policy must ensure people's rights, both male and female, were protected.
"I did work in the prison system when there were zero female prison officers in a male prison and obviously these types of incidents didn't occur," he said.
"From a security point of view, I believe it's the best way to go."
Mr Burrows said legislation prevented female Corrective Service Officers from searching male prisoners and male officers from searching female prisoners.
Police and Corrective Services Minister Jack Dempsey ruled out single-sex jails saying prison guards should be appointed "on their competency and qualifications and not their gender".
"Having a staffing contingent of varied backgrounds, life experience and genders is imperative in any modern workforce," he said.
Queensland has more than 2000 corrective service officers or prison guards and of those only 471 are women.
Queensland Corrective Services Acting Commissioner Mark Rallings said QCS had a zero-tolerance policy on allegations of inappropriate relationships between staff and prisoners but acknowledged it was a real issue.
However, he wouldn't discuss cases where relationships between guards and prisoners had led to other criminal activity.
One case revealed in documents obtained under Right to Information laws revealed an officer smuggled money to a prisoner. In a separate incident, a prisoner organised for an officer to get a free tattoo at a parlour associated with the Finks bikie group.
"Our staff are trained to recognise the actions some prisoners may take to try and compromise them (but) unfortunately a very small percentage of our workforce crosses the professional boundaries line," Mr Rallings said.
Mr Rallings said allegations of an inappropriate relationship could range from a simple breach of the professional boundary (officer observed spending too much time with a prisoner) to a sexual relationship.
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