Officers who monitor criminals on home detention walk off the job

Officers keeping watch over more than 1500 criminals on home detention in South Australia have walked off the job.

It's part of industrial action that also involves guards in the state's seven largest prisons.

A photograph obtained by 9News showed a monitoring room for home detainees sitting abandoned at one point following the strike. 

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Authorities insist monitoring services remain fully operational, but the government says the strike action could have put the community at risk.

"We're happy to talk, but threatening to put South Australians at risk, it's not an appropriate form of industrial action in my mind," Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said.

"My understanding is we have a plan in place to ensure the safety of the SA community in conjunction with the Department of Corrections," South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said.

The strike follows a series of violent incidents, including a prisoner being beaten unconscious by other inmates at Yatala Labour Prison on Sunday. 

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"We are seeing the justice system collapse," Public Service Association spokesperson Charlotte Watson said.

"Our claim is for 20 per cent over 18 months. The current offer is for 10.5 to 12.5 per cent. The critical issue is that that sees workers under the award."

Corrections officers rallied outside Yatala Labour Prison, voicing their concerns over pay and working conditions. 

"Cost of living (is) up, workloads are up, drugs and assaults (in prisons) are up," one protester said. 

"It's about time our pay went up, too."

9News also understands the strikes are impacting the courts. With no one to escort detainees to court appearances, cases have had to be adjourned. 

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.