An inmate at a Sydney correctional centre has died, prompting protests from other prisoners who say he was denied proper medical care in the days before his death.
A 41-year-old Aboriginal male inmate at Parklea Correctional Centre, in Sydney’s north-west, died on Friday night after being taken to hospital for treatment.
A group of inmates then carried out protests inside the jail in response to the man’s death at 9am the next morning.
The protesters reportedly barricaded a wing of the prison while outbound calls and visits to Parklea were temporarily suspended.
Family members of a man inside the facility told the Saturday Telegraph that the inmates protested because they believed the man was given a lack of medical attention in the week leading up to his death.
The fellow inmate was reportedly friends with the deceased.
One family member told the publication that the 41-year-old’s cellmates alleged the prison had not done enough to care for him.
‘They are serving these sentences and doing their time but it should be done humanely… he had been begging for help,’ the family member said.
An inmate at Parklea Correctional Centre died on Friday night, prompting inmates to stage a protest the following morning
The inmates reportedly protested what they believed to be a lack of medical assistance given to the inmate in the days leading up to his death
The deceased inmate was understood to have been seen by medical professionals on a daily basis in the lead-up to his death.
Police said a report would be prepared for the coroner but initial inquiries indicated the death of the inmate was ‘not suspicious’.
‘About 11.20am yesterday (Friday June 27), emergency services were called to a correctional centre in Parklea following reports of an inmate requiring medical assistance,’ a NSW Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘A 41-year-old man was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Blacktown Hospital, and then transferred to Westmead Hospital for further treatment.’
Parklea, a medium and maximum security facility, is privately owned by Management and Training Corp (MTC) but is expected to return to public ownership next year.
An MTC spokesperson confirmed the inmate’s death sparked ‘peaceful protests’ in an accommodation unit on Saturday which ended within hours.
‘After a period of negotiation, the majority of inmates were voluntarily secured in their cells,’ the spokesperson said.
‘A small number of inmate representatives then spoke with centre management.
The protests are understood to have concluded within hours, with no inmates or prison staff having been injured
‘At about 12.30pm, inmates were released from their cells, and normal routine recommenced.
‘There were no injuries to staff or inmates during the incident, and nothing was damaged.’
The spokesperson said MTC was working with Corrective Services NSW and NSW Police who investigate all deaths in custody ‘regardless of the circumstances’.
‘As the matter will be subject to a coronial inquest, it would be inappropriate to comment further,’ they said.
