Former prison guard wins payout after being assaulted on the job Michael Parker has not set foot behind prison walls for three years. He can’t – the memories of the brutal assaults and vulnerable teenagers threatening to take their own lives are still too fresh. The former youth corrections officer has lifted the lid on the hell he endured behind prison walls after he was repeatedly coward punched, covered in blood during vicious brawls and attacked by young inmates. Mr Parker, 29, has demanded the state government do more to protect correctional staff as prisons prepare for an influx of detainees, after he reached a private settlement with the Department of Justice and Community Safety over a litany of ordeals he endured when he worked at Parkville Youth Justice Centre. Horrific incidents included suffering a dislocated knee while trying to break up a fight on the basketball court between eight inmates in a “black spot” inside the facility – places not captured on CCTV – and being forced to keep quiet because of the facility’s “toxic masculinity” where weakness was ridiculed or downplayed. Mr Parker said desperate staff had repeatedly warned authorities about not having enough back-up during gang riots and mental health episodes in which young inmates threatened to harm themselves, but nothing had been done. Mr Parker’s lawyer, Allanah Goodwin of Arnold Thomas and Becker, said his case showed that the Department had a duty to provide prison staff with better training and support. “Mike has described his time at Parkville as terrifying,” she said. “He took the job as he had always been passionate about working with young people at risk, and he had hoped that he could make a difference in their lives. “Unfortunately, he found himself in an environment that was detrimental to his own physical and psychological wellbeing.” Read the full story at The Herald Sun. Contact us If you have been injured at work, we’re here to help with your compensation entitlements, and if you don’t win, there’s no fee. To speak to a lawyer for a confidential, no-obligation discussion, call us on 03 9034 8433 or email [email protected]