- Previous inspections indicated that while continuing to perform well, Karnet has suffered from a lack of investment and stable management. However, the 2013 inspection of Karnet found that the groundwork has been has been laid for a new era of stability and recognition for the prison.
- The appointment of a substantive Superintendent and the establishment of a strong and stable senior management team was a particularly positive finding. With the introduction of the Superintendent’s vision for the future, Karnet has a clear plan for its future and for the well-being of its prisoners.
- Karnet continues to maintain a range of working relationships with community based agencies that provide valuable in-reach support services.
- A great proportion of Karnet’s prisoners have embraced the multitude of opportunities available to them, including those offered by way of employment education and training, and recreation.
- The vast majority of Karnet’s staff maintain positive and respectful relationships with the prisoners. This was evident in the pre-inspection surveys of both staff and prisoners, and was observed during the on-site inspection.
- In the three years since the 2010 inspection Karnet has gained a further 88 beds, bringing the total number of beds to 326. This increase was made possible by the addition of 24 beds to an existing unit in 2011, and the building of a new 64 bed unit in 2012.
- Despite Karnet’s increase in prisoner numbers, the proportion of Aboriginal prisoners has remained comparatively low with only 35 (11%) out of the total population of 319 being Aboriginal at the time of the 2013 inspection. Changes to the Department’s security assessment tool have inadvertently disadvantaged Aboriginal prisoners, resulting in their underrepresentation at minimum security level.
- Karnet’s abattoir is an important supplier of fresh meat and small goods to the state’s prison system, offsetting the significant costs of imprisonment to the community. However, the abattoir and boning room facilities were extremely dilapidated, failing to meet the structural requirements of relevant industry standards in a number of areas.
- In the prison’s fiftieth year of operation, the age and size of some of its buildings are problematic. Work has been done on external aspects of the prison, and as a result the appearance of many buildings has improved dramatically. However, the interiors of the older cells require the similar attention.