Why Are Dangerous Hanging Points Still in Aussie Prisons? Minister Demands Urgent Fix
States Must Act Now: Minister Demands End to Hanging Points in Australian Prisons
A Preventable Crisis in Australian Prisons
Australia is facing renewed pressure to remove dangerous fixtures from prison cells that have been linked to dozens of preventable deaths. Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, is calling on state and territory governments to urgently eliminate hanging points in prisons—hazards that have contributed to at least 57 deaths by hanging in the past two decades.
These deaths were not unforeseeable. In many cases, coroners had previously flagged these fixtures as risks, yet they were never removed. What’s worse, many of these cases involved Indigenous inmates—highlighting a long-standing failure to protect the most vulnerable in custody.
What the Investigation Revealed
A major investigation by Guardian Australia revealed that:
- 248 deaths by hanging have occurred in Australian custody since 2000.
- In 57 of those cases, inmates used known hanging points that had already been identified as dangerous.
- Some facilities recorded multiple deaths at the exact same location without taking action.
For example, Queensland’s Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre saw 10 deaths at the same ligature point over 20 years. Despite repeated coronial warnings, these risks remained unaddressed.
McCarthy’s Urgent Call for Change
Malarndirri McCarthy is demanding that all states and territories act swiftly to fix this issue. She says her federal department has formally raised the issue with correctional ministers around the country and emphasized it during recent meetings of the national First Nations justice forum.
“We are very serious about ensuring the safety of people in custody. We do not want to see further deaths,” McCarthy said.
She’s urging all governments to identify and remove every known hanging point in prisons before the end of the year.
A National Failure with Indigenous Lives at Stake
The crisis is especially urgent for Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are disproportionately represented in prison populations—and also in the statistics for deaths in custody. Nearly half of the 57 hanging deaths linked to ignored warnings involved Indigenous inmates.
This systemic issue has deep roots. It’s been more than 30 years since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody made strong recommendations, including eliminating hanging points. Yet many of those recommendations are still not fully implemented.
A Broken System: Real Stories Behind the Stats
Silverwater Correctional Complex (NSW)
At Silverwater’s Darcy unit, inmates Gavin Ellis, Nathan Reynolds, and others died using the same bars on their cell doors. Despite multiple inquests, those bars remained for years.
The NSW government has not confirmed whether these fixtures have since been removed or modified.
Tamworth Correctional Centre
Tane Chatfield, a 22-year-old Indigenous man, died in 2017 at Tamworth prison. After his death, a coronial inquest demanded an audit of all hanging points. Authorities initially reported that no hazards were found—but follow-up inspections revealed several hanging points still present.
Tane’s mother called the system’s response “shallow” and “disrespectful.”
What Experts and Leaders Are Saying
- Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has described the current death rate in custody as “completely unacceptable.” She emphasized the need for urgent national reforms to prison infrastructure and mental health support.
- Greens Senator Larissa Waters also voiced her concern, noting that 13 Aboriginal people have already died in custody in 2025. “This is not just a policy issue—it’s a matter of justice and accountability,” she said.
- Senator Pat Dodson, who helped lead the original Royal Commission, called the ongoing failure to remove hanging points “totally unacceptable.”
It’s Not Just the Bars—It’s the Whole System
While removing dangerous fixtures is a vital first step, experts warn that a broader reform is essential. Many deaths in custody are linked to:
- Poor mental health care access
- Inadequate risk assessment
- Flawed information-sharing between corrections and health staff
- Failure to act on known warning signs
Even when suicide risks are identified, vulnerable inmates are too often placed in unsafe environments without proper monitoring or support.
What Needs to Happen Now
To prevent more avoidable deaths, several immediate actions are needed:
- Removal or redesign of all known hanging points in prisons nationwide.
- Transparent audits of all prison infrastructure—backed by public reporting.
- Enhanced mental health services, including in-prison psychiatrists and trained crisis teams.
- Better staff training to identify and respond to suicide risks.
- Federal pressure on state corrections systems to comply with national standards.
Closing the Gap on Deaths in Custody
This issue also ties into broader Closing the Gap commitments to reduce incarceration and death rates for Indigenous Australians. McCarthy and others see this as a crucial test: will governments act on what they’ve known for decades?
Removing hanging points won’t fix every issue in the justice system—but it’s a clear, achievable action with the potential to save lives right now.
Will This Be the Turning Point?
The evidence is clear. The solutions are known. The lives already lost are too many.
What’s needed now is action—not more reports, not more inquests, and not more broken promises. If states step up and remove these hazards, 2025 could mark a real shift in Australia’s approach to justice and human rights in custody.
But if they don’t, we risk repeating the same tragic cycle.
