The Northern Territory’s prison system is in a state of collapse.
Behind bars at Darwin Correctional Centre, prisoners are experiencing escalating violence, distress, and institutional neglect.
‘We must be clear: this is not a system under pressure — it is a system designed to brutalise, to punish, and to disappear Aboriginal people,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
Recent reports, obtained through Freedom of Information, detail a 24-day period inside Darwin prison that included violent assaults, the use of chemical agents on prisoners, and multiple incidents of self-harm.
‘These are not isolated events — they are a symptom of a carceral system spiralling further into cruelty and chaos,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘While media coverage focuses on the safety of correctional officers, we must centre the voices and experiences of those locked inside. Our concern is the safety, dignity, and humanity of the prisoners — the overwhelming majority of whom are Aboriginal,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘This is a racial assault. It is a state-sanctioned attack on Aboriginal people. The Northern Territory’s incarceration rate is now one of the highest in the world,’ said Tabitha Lean.
If the NT were a country, it would rank second only to El Salvador, with 1,238 people per 100,000 locked up.
The NT prison population has hit a record high of 2,822 people, and Corrections is already preparing for it to surpass 3,000.
‘This is unsustainable. This is unacceptable. And this is potentially lethal,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Instead of listening to communities, the NT government is doubling down on carceral violence — most recently through the passage of Australia’s so-called “toughest bail laws”. These punitive amendments are knee-jerk reactions to grief and devastation. They are not about community safety — they are about retribution, fear, and punishment,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘These laws criminalise poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and trauma — the direct outcomes of decades of neoliberal policies and disinvestment from social supports. Locking people away because the government has failed to house, support, or care for them is not justice. It is systemic abuse,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The National Network condemn in the strongest terms the use of chemical agents against people in prison. This is chemical warfare waged against unarmed, vulnerable people — many of whom are struggling with mental distress, isolation, and deprivation,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘This is violence, not safety. It is torture, not justice,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The evidence is clear: people in prison are being harmed. They are harming themselves. They are being harmed by others. This is what happens when a prison system is bursting at the seams — overcrowded, under-resourced, and ignored by a government that prioritises carceral control over care,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Let us be absolutely clear — the prison system in the Northern Territory is a colonial frontier. Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory are being caged at catastrophic rates. This state violence is being normalised and bureaucratised. We are being told to accept it as inevitable. But we will not,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We are sounding the alarm: there will be deaths in custody. If the government continues down this path of mass incarceration, this system will kill,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The National Network are calling on the Northern Territory Government to:
- Immediately repeal the recent bail amendments and halt all legislation that expands the carceral state.
- Cease the use of chemical agents and other forms of violent restraint inside prisons.
- Invest in community-led, culturally grounded solutions to prison that address the root causes of incarceration.
- Redirect funding away from prisons and into housing, health, education, and social support.
- Commit to decarceration and transformative justice solutions, with Aboriginal leadership at the centre.
‘This is not just a policy crisis. It is a moral and political one. The government has a choice: continue to punish people for the harms it has engineered— or chart a new path. One rooted in care, dignity, and justice,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘We are watching. We are organising. And we will not stay silent,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
