Robert Barnes is serving an 11-year sentence at Yatala Labour Prison in Adelaide and is currently housed in the high-security G Division.
Uncle Major “Moogy” Sumner, one of the state’s most prominent Aboriginal elders, notes that Barnes, an Indigenous man, was imprisoned following an assault on a corrections officer.
Both Sumner and Mel Turner, a former Aboriginal liaison officer (ALO) at the prison, have not heard of anyone being held in solitary confinement for such a lengthy period. “It’s nearing 800 days,” Turner commented.
Sumner, a Ngarrindjeri elder and environmental activist, was prevented from visiting Barnes due to his role with South Australia’s First Nations voice. Sumner stated, “I was going to see him, then I was told I couldn’t due to my membership in the voice of South Australia and my discussion of the situation there.”
“That’s what the voice is for. Any issues concerning Aboriginal people, we bring them to the government,” Sumner added.
Sumner is scheduled to meet with the state’s correctional services head, David Brown, on Friday to discuss Barnes’s situation.
The Human Rights Law Centre defines solitary confinement as isolation for 22 hours a day or more without meaningful human contact. It views prolonged solitary confinement as a “cruel practice that causes irreparable harm” and calls for its prohibition.
Turner withdrew from her role as an ALO in June, feeling pressured and bullied. She had been attempting to advocate for Sumner’s visitation rights to Barnes but was informed that Sumner could not visit due to his involvement with the voice.
SA Greens Senator Barbara Pocock has written to the Acting Premier, Susan Close, to ascertain the exact duration of Barnes’s solitary confinement and to inquire about compliance with UN standards, which prohibit solitary confinement beyond 15 consecutive days. Pocock argues that imprisonment should be for punishment, not for punishment, expressing concerns over Barnes’s health and well-being.
Guardian Australia has reached out to the South Australian government and the Department of Correctional Services for a response and has been informed that while individual cases cannot be commented on, cultural and mental health support is being provided to prisoners in need, including at Yatala. Sumner reported that he was still denied access to visit Barnes.
Support resources are available for those affected by these issues, including Beyond Blue, Lifeline, MensLine, and 13YARN, which specifically supports Indigenous Australians.
