16-07-2025
Elder's concerns for mental health of Indigenous man in high-security prison
An Aboriginal Elder says an Indigenous man is "suffering mentally and physically" inside South Australia's high-security prison, and is concerned that without intervention he could become "another death in custody".
WARNING: This story contains reference to self-harm and suicide.
About 70 people gathered outside Yatala Labour Prison, in Adelaide's northern suburbs, on Tuesday afternoon to protest what they described as the "cruel" and "inhumane" treatment of Indigenous man Robert William Junior Barnes.
Barnes was sentenced last year to 11 years in prison for multiple offences, including assaulting a corrections worker.
Former Aboriginal Liaison Officer Melanie Turner, who recently resigned, said she had been denied access to Barnes by the Department for Correctional Services (DCS).
She said Ngarrindjeri Elder Uncle Major 'Moogy' Sumner had also not been allowed to visit Barnes, and so they could not provide cultural support to him.
Ms Turner said Barnes had self-harmed while behind bars, and that when she had last seen him about a month ago "he wasn't doing good at all".
"I've got a cultural obligation to the community to look after Robert Barnes as well, and if something had happened to him I would have felt devastated because I would have the community to explain to as well," she said.
Mr Sumner said Barnes had spent "nearly 800 days" in a cell "no bigger than a bathroom" with "nothing in there for him for entertainment".
"He's suffering mentally and physically," he said.
Mr Sumner said he was concerned for Barnes's welfare if the situation did not change.
In a statement, the Department for Correctional Services said it cannot comment on individual cases under the Correctional Services Act but it "continues to provide cultural and mental health support to identified prisoners in need across the system", including at Yatala.
It also said that Mr Sumner was not banned from DCS sites, and that he was due to meet with the DCS chief executive this week.
"The Department appreciates the cultural support Major Sumner continues to provide in prisons, including a visit to the Adelaide Remand Centre during NAIDOC Week last week," the statement said.
It said an offer has also been made to Mr Sumner to visit Yatala next week and meet with the Aboriginal Cultural Treatment Unit team, who support prisoners in the maximum-security unit.
"The Department values the contribution Elders make to our prisons, including site visits," the statement said.
"The safety of any visitor along with staff and prisoners is paramount when considering access, particularly to the state's high security prisons."
