<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Violence has erupted at Yatala Labour Prison in Adelaide with a makeshift weapon used in a brutal attack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's the third assault at Yatala in five days.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Prison Guards Union said an inmate was recovering at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with "very serious injuries".</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/tropical-cyclone-alfred-live-updates-tracker-forecast-map-full-list-of-whats-closed-whats-open-mainland-crossing-nears-amid-flooding-risks/7815a981-0b89-4b40-b35b-41fe609e8413"><strong><span>Hervey Bay hit with deluge, 300,000 without power as Alfred weakens</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It called for urgent action to keep both prisoners and staff safe.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The two other assaults during the week were also serious.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Thursday, paramedics rushing to Yatala to retrieve a prisoner who had a punctured lung after being attacked with a shiv - or makeshift knife.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/adelaide-yatala--prison-inmate-in-hospital-with-serious-injuries-after-attack/412eb711-6be8-4303-94c3-d0a112e47d04" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to the union, all three of the recent assaults involved weapons.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It said subsequent searches of the prison also uncovered a large amount of drugs and other contraband, prompting it to call for more security measures and additional staff.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Staff are very concerned about their own safety, but they're also concerned about the safety of the prisoners, as a result of the increasing level of the assaults which has increased by two and a half times since 2019," Austin White from the Public Service Association said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The union said violence wasn't isolated to Yatala Labour Prison, with 481 assaults on prisoners and staff across the state over the past 12 months.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's feared if nothing changes the situation will only escalate.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Corrections Department said today's incident wasn't a reflection of inadequate resourcing but said it would meet with the union to hear its concerns.</span></div></div>