NSW Prisons Locked Down After Lenient Sentence

Thousands of NSW correctional officers walked off the job and placed all 36 prisons into lockdown after a local magistrate gave inmate Cameron Welsh a three-year community corrections order rather than additional jail time for a February attack that injured four Cessnock officers. CCTV footage shows Welsh striking multiple officers; all four were hospitalized and two are unlikely ever to return to work. Welsh, who has a prior violent history, has been transferred to Goulburn Supermax under strict supervision. The Public Service Association organized a 48-hour walkout, described the action as “catastrophic,” and the strike has left some facilities with only a handful of staff and disrupted court listings across Local, District and Supreme courts. Police prosecutors are considering an appeal, an urgent Industrial Relations Commission hearing has been convened, and the Corrections Minister stressed judicial independence while calling for a resolution.