Special report on corrections: IBAC Operations Rous, Caparra, Nisidia and Molara
- Recommendations
- 3
- Report length
- 108 pages
Summary
The report's own summary: Summary of investigations and key findings, pages 7 to 17
Generated summary: written by an AI model from the report text and checked against the cited pages.
IBAC reported on corruption in Victorian prisons through four investigations: Operations Rous, Caparra, Nisidia and Molara.
Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 9
It examined conduct in public and private prisons, including assaults, information misuse, undisclosed associations and tobacco smuggling.
Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 9 · Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 10 · Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 98
IBAC found excessive force and failures in incident reporting at Port Phillip Prison, and identified improper relationships, information access and payments for tobacco smuggling in other investigations.
Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 11 · Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 13 · Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 14
It made three additional recommendations on prison controls and training, a statutory duty to report suspected corruption and a culture that supports reporting.
Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 17 · Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 99
In the body's own words
- Finding
In Operation Rous, IBAC found that certain corrections officers at Port Phillip Prison had used excessive force against two prisoners, one of whom has an intellectual disability.
Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 11
- Finding
In Operations Nisidia and Molara, IBAC found corrections staff at Loddon and Dhurringile Prisons corruptly received cash payments to smuggle tobacco into the facilities.
Special_report_on_corrections_-_IBAC_-_June_2021_H8h0zVcG, page 13
Findings, opinions and statements
Allegations are not findings. A commission's finding or opinion of corrupt conduct or misconduct is not a finding that a person is guilty of a criminal offence, and the commissions say so in their reports.
No findings are reproduced in this record. This does not establish that the report contains none.
Recommendations 3
Recommendation 1
That the Department of Justice and Community Safety and Corrections Victoria review and strengthen training, policies, systems and practices to address the corruption vulnerabilities identified in this report, including by ensuring: a. regular training is provided in relation to grooming behaviours to equip staff to identify and resist attempts to form inappropriate relationships with prisoners as well as prisoners’ family members, friends and associates b. physical and technical security vulnerabilities that can allow corrupt conduct (including the smuggling of contraband) to continue undetected are addressed, including corrections officers failing to activate their body-worn cameras or interfering with body-worn camera recordings c. staff vetting is thorough and involves both an initial assessment and regular reviews so new risks are identified as they arise d. IBAC is provided with six-monthly progress reports on the development and implementation of the new drug testing regime to be rolled out in Victoria’s publicly managed prisons e. information systems are fully auditable and relevant staff are properly equipped to conduct regular and widespread database audits of employees’ system access to deter inappropriate access to and misuse of information f. obligations to identify, report and manage conflicts of interest and declarable associations are understood, and supervisors and senior officers understand their obligations to implement and monitor management plans g. the risk of Service Delivery Outcomes data manipulation associated with privately managed prisons is reassessed and appropriate mitigation strategies put in place h. the new Integrity Strategy being developed by DJCS addresses the corrections-related corruption vulnerabilities identified in this report i. corrections employees in Victorian prisons with responsibility for conducting internal investigations during or immediately after a prisoner-related incident are appropriately trained and supported.
Recommendation 2
That the Victorian Government amend section 22 of the Corrections Act 1986 (Vic) to introduce a statutory obligation on corrections officers to report to the prison governor or to IBAC if they have a reasonable belief that another officer has engaged in corrupt conduct, and that an appropriate penalty for failing to comply with section 22 be imposed.
Recommendation 3
That the Department of Justice and Community Safety and Corrections Victoria take action to embed a culture of integrity across the corrections system, including ensuring staff across all Victorian prisons understand the importance of reporting suspected corrupt conduct and how they will be supported and protected if they do so.
Published responses
Responses to this report have not been checked.
Notes on this record
- Tabled: Legislative Assembly 2021-06-22; Legislative Council 2021-06-22.
Coverage
This publisher
- www.ibac.vic.gov.au answered the identifying OPAXBot agent with HTTP 403 (CloudFront) on 11 November 2026, for its pages and its robots.txt. IBAC reports are read from the copies tabled in the Parliament of Victoria instead.
- IBAC publications that are not tabled (research and prevention reports, recommendation-progress pages and agency responses published only on IBAC's site) are therefore not loaded.
- Some tabled papers are listed by the Parliament without an online document (for example the Special report on Operation Sandon, available on request from the Parliament); their recommendations are not loaded.
- Findings and opinions are not extracted; read each report for them.