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Murderers, rapists and child sex offenders are among inmates asked to complete an online survey to rate the quality of their prison “experience.”
The survey is sent to NSW prisoners held in maximum, medium and minimum security custody and can be completed on touchscreen tablets in their cells.
‘We want to hear from you!’ says the survey invitation.
‘We want to know your experience in the Correctional Center where you are and the staff you interact with.
‘Access the survey by clicking the “Experience Survey” link in the list of approved websites on your tablet.’
The survey is promoted as confidential, voluntary and “an opportunity to give your opinion.”
Murderers, rapists and child sex offenders are among inmates asked to complete an online survey to rate their prison “experience.” Pictured is an inmate at North Coast Correctional Centre, near Kempsey.
Users of a Facebook page popular with current and former prison officials have mocked the questionnaire, with one stating: “The do-gooders are at it again.”
‘Surely this is a joke?’ another wrote on The Last Governor’s account.
‘Do you really expect any inmate to say that they’re having a great time and that every interaction with the staff is wonderful and that everyone is happy to be there?’
Other comments included: “Forced to get honest answers,” “The new TripAdvisor,” and “Maybe we should be like Uber drivers.” Give us one to five stars for our performance.”
Retired senior corrections officer John Heffernan, who runs The Last Governor Facebook page, summed up his former colleagues’ skepticism about the survey in his post.
“I suspect the response will be completely negative and will provide certain inmates with the opportunity to make unsubstantiated accusations against staff members,” he wrote.
‘Maybe I don’t understand the point, but it seems like another exercise to wake me up.
“They’re not running Woolworths, looking for customer satisfaction, they’re running a prison system.”
The survey is sent to inmates in maximum, medium and minimum security prisons in New South Wales and can be completed on touchscreen tablets (above) in their cells.
Prisoners in New South Wales have access to a tablet that can be used to make voice calls to loved ones when locked in their cells.
Mid-sized Android devices allow access to approved websites, health and wellness services, educational programs, entertainment resources, and games.
The tablets also provide information about jail administration, paperless grocery “shopping,” and inmates’ personal details such as upcoming court dates.
Daily Mail Australia understands the survey contains specific questions rather than an opportunity for inmates to make general comments about their time behind bars.
A NSW Correctional Services spokeswoman said the department “routinely uses surveys to report on changes within our prisons” and this survey followed a similar survey conducted six months ago.
‘We want to hear from you!’ says the survey invitation. ‘We want to know your experience in the Correctional Center where you are and the staff you interact with’
“New South Wales Correctional Services is committed to improving the experiences of people in custody to reduce the incidence of unnatural deaths and increase the likelihood of prisoners abandoning their criminal behaviour,” he said.
“This survey is designed to measure inmates’ perceptions on a variety of topics, including their safety and CSNSW’s administrative decision-making processes.”
The spokeswoman said the survey used “closed-ended psychometric questions” and was available to all inmates on their tablets or in-cell computer kiosks.
“Research shows that meeting key performance measures in custody reduces the likelihood that people will reoffend,” he said.
“Our targeted interrogations will also help us better allocate resources to further support staff and improve the security of our correctional facilities and, ultimately, the safety of the community.”