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The New South Wales prison system was thrown into lockdown early last week amidst a number of COVID-19 outbreaks at correctional facilities around the state. Both prisoners and prison staff are reportedly under-vaccinated in comparison to the general population despite prisoners being considered a high-risk group.

However, advocacy groups and experts say that a lockdown could make the situation worse with overcrowding and a lack of ventilation a cause for concern. They are instead calling for the release of low-risk inmates and non-violent prisoners to curb the spread of COVID-19 in these prisons.

Produced By: Michelle Stephenson, and Soph Landau

Featured In Story: Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law at University of Technology Sydney, and Brett Collins, Justice Action Coordinator

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 8 September 2021