Remove Hanging Points in NSW Prisons – Prevent Suicide and Save Lives
Remove Hanging Points in NSW Prisons – Prevent Suicide and Save Lives
The issue
Every life lost in custody is a human tragedy, and too many of them are completely preventable.
Across Australia, at least 57 people in prisons have died by suicide using hanging points that authorities already knew were hazards but did not remove. These deaths did not happen in secret or by accident. They occurred in cells with known risks that experts, coroners, and community advocates have repeatedly flagged for removal.
In New South Wales alone, reporting shows that 20 people have died in prisons from hanging points that authorities were aware of but had not removed, including repeated deaths from the same points over many years. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a pattern of government inaction and systemic failure.
These deaths continue to occur despite clear recommendations from coronial inquests to remove hanging points. For example, a coronial inquest into the 2017 death of Tane Chatfield at Tamworth Correctional Centre recommended that all hanging points be audited and removed, yet years later many remain. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-09/hanging-points-still-present-in-tamworth-prison-despite-inquest/13229438?utm_source=chatgpt.com
It is not just NSW. Across the country, authorities frequently close out coronial reports without fully implementing recommendations to reduce suicide risk, even when multiple ligature points remain in cells.
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, delivered more than 30 years ago, also recommended removing hanging points as part of improving custodial safety. Decades later, these recommendations are still not fully implemented.
In NSW and Australia wide we already have a mental health crisis in our prison systems and these hanging points are only contributing to that crisis leaving a lifelong impact on innocent families that are affected by those who take their lives as a result of them still being in Place when they should’ve been removed a long time ago.
This issue is sadly not limited to one state. Across Australia, people continue to die in custody from hazards that states and territories have known about for years. NSW has the opportunity to lead the way and protect human life now, not years too late.
These failures are not abstract. They destroy families. They leave children without parents, siblings without brothers and sisters, and communities grieving lives cut short. In NSW last year, the State Coroner described the highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody on record as profoundly distressing, a phrase that barely captures the ongoing pain and loss for families affected. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-15/nsw-coroner-confirms-12-first-nations-deaths-in-custody-2025/105890400?utm_source=chatgpt.com
This petition calls on the NSW Government to take urgent action. We demand that all known hanging points be removed from prisons, police cells, and court holding cells. We demand enforceable anti-ligature design standards for all custodial facilities. We demand transparent public reporting and independent auditing of progress on making cells safe. We demand that coronial recommendations be acted on without delay, rather than responded to with promises of future investment.
We also call on other key decision-makers to support these reforms, including Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson, Premier Chris Minns, and supportive MPs such as Abigail Boyd, Jenny Leong, Cate Faehrmann, Sue Higginson, and Kobi Shetty.
By signing this petition, you are standing with families who are grieving, with communities demanding accountability, and with people who believe that no one should die behind bars because of hazards that are already known and preventable.
Reference Links
Death toll from known hanging points investigation – Guardian Australia:
Report on hanging points remaining in NSW facility despite recommendations:
NSW Coroner: record Indigenous deaths in custody profoundly distressing:
Report on coronial recommendations ignored and ligature points remaining:
Royal Commission recommendation on removing hanging points:
492
The issue
Every life lost in custody is a human tragedy, and too many of them are completely preventable.
Across Australia, at least 57 people in prisons have died by suicide using hanging points that authorities already knew were hazards but did not remove. These deaths did not happen in secret or by accident. They occurred in cells with known risks that experts, coroners, and community advocates have repeatedly flagged for removal.
In New South Wales alone, reporting shows that 20 people have died in prisons from hanging points that authorities were aware of but had not removed, including repeated deaths from the same points over many years. These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a pattern of government inaction and systemic failure.
These deaths continue to occur despite clear recommendations from coronial inquests to remove hanging points. For example, a coronial inquest into the 2017 death of Tane Chatfield at Tamworth Correctional Centre recommended that all hanging points be audited and removed, yet years later many remain. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-09/hanging-points-still-present-in-tamworth-prison-despite-inquest/13229438?utm_source=chatgpt.com
It is not just NSW. Across the country, authorities frequently close out coronial reports without fully implementing recommendations to reduce suicide risk, even when multiple ligature points remain in cells.
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, delivered more than 30 years ago, also recommended removing hanging points as part of improving custodial safety. Decades later, these recommendations are still not fully implemented.
In NSW and Australia wide we already have a mental health crisis in our prison systems and these hanging points are only contributing to that crisis leaving a lifelong impact on innocent families that are affected by those who take their lives as a result of them still being in Place when they should’ve been removed a long time ago.
This issue is sadly not limited to one state. Across Australia, people continue to die in custody from hazards that states and territories have known about for years. NSW has the opportunity to lead the way and protect human life now, not years too late.
These failures are not abstract. They destroy families. They leave children without parents, siblings without brothers and sisters, and communities grieving lives cut short. In NSW last year, the State Coroner described the highest number of Indigenous deaths in custody on record as profoundly distressing, a phrase that barely captures the ongoing pain and loss for families affected. (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-15/nsw-coroner-confirms-12-first-nations-deaths-in-custody-2025/105890400?utm_source=chatgpt.com
This petition calls on the NSW Government to take urgent action. We demand that all known hanging points be removed from prisons, police cells, and court holding cells. We demand enforceable anti-ligature design standards for all custodial facilities. We demand transparent public reporting and independent auditing of progress on making cells safe. We demand that coronial recommendations be acted on without delay, rather than responded to with promises of future investment.
We also call on other key decision-makers to support these reforms, including Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson, Premier Chris Minns, and supportive MPs such as Abigail Boyd, Jenny Leong, Cate Faehrmann, Sue Higginson, and Kobi Shetty.
By signing this petition, you are standing with families who are grieving, with communities demanding accountability, and with people who believe that no one should die behind bars because of hazards that are already known and preventable.
Reference Links
Death toll from known hanging points investigation – Guardian Australia:
Report on hanging points remaining in NSW facility despite recommendations:
NSW Coroner: record Indigenous deaths in custody profoundly distressing:
Report on coronial recommendations ignored and ligature points remaining:
Royal Commission recommendation on removing hanging points:
492
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 4 February 2026