Sam Wood has exchanged a life of luxury for custody in a high-security prison where sexual assaults, poor food and a strict social media ban have been reported. A criminal psychologist has warned the celebrity could become a target behind bars.
The 46-year-old remains in custody over an alleged domestic violence incident involving his wife, Snezana, at their $3,000-a-night holiday accommodation on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast last Saturday.
Wood spent five nights in a holding cell at Maroochydore Watchhouse before being transferred under cover of darkness to Brisbane Correctional Centre, 121 kilometres away. The move followed his appearance in court on Thursday, when bail was refused.
The high-security facility, located in Wacol in Brisbane’s south-west, is the main centre for male inmates recently remanded in custody across south-east Queensland.
Wood is expected to remain there for at least six weeks. The prison accommodates mainstream inmates from the general population, protection prisoners separated from others for their safety, and residential prisoners housed in less restrictive, communal-style units.
His surroundings will be a dramatic contrast to the sprawling $7.15 million mansion in Brighton, Melbourne’s affluent bayside suburb, where he and his family moved earlier this year.
Rather than the comforts of his luxury home, Wood will face the strict routines of prison life. Criminal psychologist Dr Tim Watson-Munro has cautioned that his public profile could make him vulnerable inside.
“In general principle, anyone who has a profile becomes a potential target in prison,” he told the Daily Mail.
Sam Wood, pictured with his wife Snezana, has gone from a life of luxury to custody in a notorious high-security prison
The reality television star turned fitness guru is likely to share a cell with fellow inmates while held at Brisbane Correctional Centre
“If they’re perceived to be people of wealth, which he is, there may be a standover for money, or they may want money for protection,” Dr Watson-Munro said.
“There are also prisoners who make targets of celebrities because of the kudos attached to beating up a celebrity.”
Dr Watson-Munro said prison authorities evaluate the risks facing high-profile inmates individually, with some moved into protective custody to safeguard them.
“Depending on the level of threat and risk analysis, they may put him in protection for a while,” he said.
“The intel on these things is pretty good, so if they get word that he is a target either for standover or to be beaten up, they may suggest he goes into protection.”
However, Dr Watson-Munro warned that providing Wood with special treatment could increase tensions with other prisoners.
“It would just aggravate the problem he would have with other prisoners, as they don’t like that type of thing.”
On arrival at Brisbane Correctional Centre, inmates are issued prison-green clothing, photographed and given a psychological assessment before being taken to their accommodation unit.
Prison life follows a strict, highly structured daily routine. The communal meal area is pictured
In Queensland prison cells, toilets are located in the same room as the beds
Most inmates are housed in shared cells equipped with a bed, shower and toilet.
New arrivals are often placed in the S6 unit, which is designed to accommodate 60 prisoners but frequently holds far more.
One former prisoner warned that sharing a cell was almost unavoidable, offering a grim insight into daily life behind bars.
‘You might get lucky and get a cell to yourself, but it won’t last,’ the former prisoner said.
‘You will end up sharing at some point, and the best thing to do is just be chill.
‘You’ll have to shower while you’re in together, but once again try to avoid sh***ing in your cell if you’re sharing.
‘Do it in the common area toilet. The food is crap, but it’s edible.’
The prison has also come under intense official scrutiny over its appalling conditions, with a scathing Queensland Ombudsman report released earlier this year making 55 recommendations for improvement.
After five days detained in a holding cell of Maroochydore Watchhouse, Sam Wood was transferred to Brisbane Correctional Centre on Thursday night
Wood will spend at least six weeks at BCC. Pictured are communal shower cubicles
Inmates have access to at least two hours of fresh-air exercise daily
The ombudsman investigation uncovered dozens of disturbing inmate conditions at Brisbane Correctional Centre, including overcrowding (stock image)
Inspectors found inmates were being served undercooked chicken, with some prisoners reporting they had fallen ill after eating it.
‘We observed undercooked chicken wings, which were visibly bloody and being served to staff and visitors,’ the report said.
In another disturbing finding, prisoners under investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting their cellmates were allowed to continue sharing cells with other inmates, despite rules requiring them to be housed alone.
The investigation also found overcrowding which often led to bullying and violence.
In response to the ombudsman’s report, Queensland Corrections Services said that the majority of recommendations ‘have been actioned or are in progress’.
Daily life inside the prison follows a strict routine, with set times for head counts, meals in communal areas and activities including education, recreation, hobbies and work programs.
Wood will be allowed to keep up to $1,000 in a personal prison trust account to purchase approved items, including food, art supplies and reading material.
He may also be able to rent a television, but for a man who has amassed millions of followers online, the biggest adjustment could be losing access to the digital world.
The jail cell is a far cry from the $7 million home he bought in Melbourne’s affluent suburb of Brighton in February
Mobile phones, the internet, emails and social media are strictly off-limits.
The fitness entrepreneur will be allowed at least two hours of outdoor exercise each day, along with access to basic gym equipment.
However, he will have to make do without the tennis court and swimming pool he enjoys at his family’s luxury Brighton home.
Contact with the outside world will also be heavily restricted, with Wood permitted two one-hour face-to-face visits each week between Wednesday and Sunday.
He may also be allowed one virtual visit per week, with all visits required to be booked at least seven days in advance.
Wood was remanded in custody on charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting.
Solicitor Mathew Cuskelly indicated that Wood will fight the charges and will apply for bail in the Supreme Court in the coming weeks.
Wood’s case will return to court on November 23.
The court heard on Thursday that Wood’s wife Snezana feared that he was going to kill her at their $3,000-a-night holiday rental at La Mer in Noosa last Saturday night.
It is alleged a row broke out as the couple were packing their belongings to return home to Melbourne.
Wood is then alleged to have put his hands around Snezana’s throat and forced her to the floor, where he pinned her down and banged her head on the floor, leaving her unable to breathe.
She told police she thought ‘this was it… her life was going to end’. She said she thought Wood was ‘going to kill her’, the court heard.
It also heard that Wood had previously choked Snezana and thrown her against the floor and a wall at their home in Victoria in an earlier alleged domestic violence attack. Wood was not charged over the previous incident.
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