Victoria has the most violent prisons in Australia, with a prison officer assaulted every three days, figures obtained by the ABC has revealed.

The Department of Justice data also shows inmate fights are a daily occurrence.

Commonwealth Public Sector Union secretary Karen Batt said the attacks were vicious.

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“We have had assaults where prisoners have put billiard balls in a sock and hit prison officers in the head,” Ms Batt said.

“We’ve had fractured eye sockets, we’ve had people hit over the back of the head with a billiard cue.”

One prison officer detailed some of the attacks, but asked the ABC not to identify him for fear of reprisals from Corrections Victoria.

“I’ve seen prisoners attack officers with chairs and tree branches,” he said.

“A regular thing is they throw hot water over officers. If they want to do major damage they put sugar in the water.

“It’s only a matter of time before a prison officer dies in a prison. We’ve been extremely lucky up until now.”

Just last week two female officers were bashed by an inmate at the Dame Phyllis Frost women’s prison in Melbourne’s west.

The prisoner wrenched hair from the head of one guard, leaving her vomiting in distress.

Prison guards to trial capsicum spray

Victorian Corrections Minister Wade Noonan said he was horrified by the attacks.

“I think these figures on assaults are very disturbing,” Mr Noonan said.

“One thing we have done off the back of those concerning figures is instigate a pilot of the general prison guard population at maximum security prisons having OC spray (capsicum spray) and body-worn cameras.”

The capsicum spray trial has been welcomed by the Commonwealth Public Sector Union.

But Smart Justice, a coalition of community legal centres, called it a “knee-jerk” reaction.

“There’s potential for guards to actually use it just to gain compliance, which is not an appropriate use of a weapon that can cause such pain,” spokeswoman Michelle McDonnell said.

“We think a better approach is to increase the training, the negotiation skills, the de-escalation skills you give to guards.

“That’s their best weapon in trying to establish a non-violent prison environment.”

Rise in violence linked to overcrowding: union

The Commonwealth Public Sector Union, which represents prison officers, said the rise in violence is linked to prison overcrowding.

Sentencing reforms under the former Coalition government saw a record number of people locked up and prisons operating over capacity.

Ms McDonnell said reducing the prison population would reduce the violence.

“The best way to do that is to increase community corrections orders,” she said.

But Mr Noonan indicated there would be no reduction in the prisoner population.

The Minister promised to release a more detailed prison policy in coming months, but warned changing the system would not be easy.

– ABC