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An eleven-year-old girl in solitary confinement, a victim of domestic violence incorrectly charged and pregnant women unable to access medical assistance. These are just some of the stories emerging from inside Darwin's watch houses as they deal with the overflow from the prison crisis. With prisons full to bursting, watch houses don't look to be returning to their intended use anytime soon.

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00:00It was meant to be a temporary solution but has become an ongoing crisis.
00:08More than 100 people were held at Palmerston Watch House over the weekend as prisons overflow.
00:14Young people as young as 11 that I've personally seen in Palmerston Watch House are being held
00:20in Palmerston Watch House with the lights on 24 hours a day in a cell by themselves
00:26with adults in surrounding cells screaming, yelling.
00:31Many of the people in Watch Houses haven't had their day in court.
00:34A woman misidentified as the perpetrator of domestic violence instead of the victim spent
00:40almost a week inside before her case could be heard and cleared.
00:45This is a woman that's been beaten severely, threatened with rape and she was defending
00:50herself and took reasonable action in our view to defend herself.
00:55And she spent five days in Palmerston Watch House until we could sort that out.
00:59The overcrowding creating pressure from all angles.
01:03Police have moved to 12-hour rosters to oversee inmates, something only used in emergencies.
01:10Lawyers not allowed in to see their clients.
01:13We need to find out what they've been charged with.
01:15We need to speak to our client to find out what the circumstances are.
01:19Corrections Minister Matthew Varley says they're working to find more space.
01:24The new Berrimer facility meant to hold 200 men is currently holding more than 400 and is
01:29looking to expand to 600 by the end of August.
01:34Yes we're seeing pressure in the Watch Houses but equally we are working as absolutely fast
01:39as we can to expand the correction system to absorb that growth.
01:42The calls for change are growing more urgent.
01:45The NT Police Association holding concerns not only for the safety of officers but also for
01:51the health of inmates.
01:53Warning another death in custody is imminent if nothing changes.
01:58And with more people being arrested than ever it's a disaster unfolding in real time.

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