- Minister for Corrections
The independent review into the serious assault on prisoner Tony Mokbel at the maximum-security Barwon Prison has delivered 16 recommendations for Corrections Victoria and the Victorian Government.
The Andrews Labor Government appointed the Honourable David Ipp AO QC, a former New South Wales Appeal Judge and former Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, to lead the review of the 11 February incident.
He was assisted by former Commissioner of Queensland Corrective Services Dr Mark Rallings.
The review’s 16 recommendations include 15 for Corrections Victoria and one for the government, all of which have been accepted and are in the process of being implemented.
The review examined the key events leading up to the assault, as well as Corrections Victoria’s risks assessments, the response of staff to the incident and compliance with existing policies.
It found that while prison staff acted quickly and courageously in response to the incident, improvements can be made to strengthen the way Corrections Victoria operates.
The review found that while prison authorities did recognise there was a potential risk to Mr Mokbel, a consultation with him and others following a media article about him was brief and did not fully comply with Corrections Victoria policy.
The Justice Assurance and Review Office will monitor the implementation of the recommendations and report to Government.
The full review cannot be released to the public because it contains information that may jeopardise prison security and intelligence gathering, prejudice the prosecution of the alleged attackers and disclose confidential or secret information.
A summary of the review’s findings and the recommendations can be found at:
As noted by Minister for Corrections Ben Carroll
“I thank Justice David Ipp and Dr Mark Rallings for their comprehensive review of the serious assault of prisoner Tony Mokbel on 11 February.”
“All 16 of the reviews recommendations have been accepted, with work already well underway to implement them.”
