No medical evidence shows spit hoods protect prison officers from disease transmission, NT Coroner warns
An inquest into the death of an Aboriginal man in custody concluded there was no medical evidence to justify the continued use of spit hoods.
The NT Coroner says spit hoods should be banned after finding no evidence to justify their use by corrections officers.
The NT has long permitted use of the hoods on adults in custody and last year reauthorised their use on children, sparking outrage from paediatricians.
Now NT Coroner Judge Elisabeth Armitage says that correctional services’ only justification for using the hoods — that they protect staff from disease transmission — lacks sufficient medical evidence.
She has recommended the NT Department of Corrections ban spit hoods or ensure they are only used for five minutes while officers don PPE.
