Inmates spent 24 hours a day locked alone in their cells for up to three months straight at multiple prisons, raising human rights and legal concerns.
The NSW Ombudsman released a damning report on Tuesday, finding oppressive and unlawful breaches at four state correctional centres from January to April 2025.
Prisoners went without their legally required hours of open-air daily exercise as well as contact visits, the report found.
Complaints from four inmates at the South Coast Correctional Centre in Nowra triggered an investigation, which revealed more than 30 inmates were subject to these conditions.
The 24/7 seclusion also occurred at three other prisons, including a maximum security facility in the NSW Hunter Valley.
"(Protective custody inmates) were deprived of daily exercise or contact visits, was unlawful and oppressive," NSW Ombudsman Paul Miller said.
