The Inspector of Detention Services Queensland is undertaking a review of Maximum Security Units (MSUs) at Arthur Gorrie, Brisbane and Woodford Correctional Centres.

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The Detention Services Inspection Unit would like to hear from you if you have experience of MSUs in Queensland. They are a team of people who look at what is happening in prisons because they want to make prisons better. They are independent and do not work for the prison. Their role is to look at the systems, and the lived experience of people who are detained.  It is not part of the role of the Inspector of Detention Services to look at individual complaints.

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What Type of Information to Provide

You can write to the Detention Services Inspection Unit and tell them what it is like in the MSU. They also have some questions to help you tell them your views. You do not have to answer all the questions.

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They would like you to tell them about:

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Fair Decisions

• What did staff tell you about why you were placed in the MSU?
• If you were in the MSU for more than 6 months, how did staff explain the reasons to keep you there?

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Information and Help Given to Prisoners

• Who helped you to understand decisions that were made about you? How helpful were they?
• What happened when staff reviewed (looked at again) the reasons you were placed in the MSU?
• What were you told about how to make a complaint?
• What help were you given to speak to your lawyer?
• If you met with the Official Visitor, how helpful were they?
• What else could the prison have done to help you understand decisions made about you?

Daily Life in the MSU

• What was a normal day like for you?
• What was your cell like? What were you allowed to have in your cell?
• How did you wash your bedding and clothes?
• How were you given your meals? What was the food like?
• How often did you go to the exercise yard? What did you do there?
• What courses or programs could you do?
• How often did you see a doctor or a nurse? How helpful were they?
• How did you contact your family?
• What contact did you have with other prisoners?
• What was your relationship with staff like? How often did they speak to you?
• How did staff help you with your spiritual or cultural needs?
• How safe did you feel in the unit?
• How did staff manage prisoners when they got angry or upset
• Did staff use force (their hands or weapons) on you while you were in the unit? If yes, what happened?
• When did staff use handcuffs? How did staff treat you when using handcuffs?

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How Prisoners Progress in the MSU

• What did you have to do to progress in the MSU?
• How did staff help you to progress out of the MSU?
• If you moved out of the MSU to another part of the prison, what was this change like for you?
• What else do you think staff could do to help prisoners in the MSU progress?

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Staff and How MSUs Work

• How often does the General Manager visit the unit?
• How often does the MSU Manager or supervisor visit you in the MSU?
• If you have spent time in more than one MSU, how are they different? How are they the same?

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How to Provide Information

If you are in prison, you can write to the Inspector of Detention Services using the following contact address:

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Inspector of Detention Services

Queensland Ombudsman

GPO Box 3314

Brisbane, QLD 4001

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If you have access to email, you can email them to:

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inspector@ombudsman.qld.gov.au

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If you have access to a phone, you can call them on:

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(07) 3005 7000

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Please send them ASAP – they need feedback by Friday 22 May 2026.