Men sentenced for riot amid 'pressure cooker' conditions in Alice Springs prison

Nine men involved in an Alice Springs prison riot last year have been handed eight-month sentences after a judge accepted that "harsh" and "oppressive" conditions inside contributed to the unrest.

Graham Abbott, Daniel Quentin, Malcolm Driffen, Charles Kennedy, Rayden Mills, Damien Nolan, Ethan Palmer, Geoffrey Pareroultja and Jonathon Tilmouth each pleaded guilty to escaping their cells and rioting on January 7 last year.

In sentencing them on Wednesday, Local Court Judge David Bamber said while he accepted the "unpleasant" conditions inside the prison had led the men to escape their cells into a common area, there was no excuse for their behaviour, which was "stupid in its outcome".

Mr Abbott's lawyer, Luke Carr, told the court the use of force by guards in response to the riot, as well as the period of isolation the prisoners faced afterwards, should be considered in the sentencing.

CCTV footage of the riot previously played to the court showed men either shirtless or wearing red T-shirts entering a courtyard and pushing a large metal object towards the doors.

The footage also showed parts of broken pedestal fans being thrown around the area, which Mr Carr said could be characterised as a "pressure cooker release valve".

"We say from the outset that conditions were not just full, they were overcrowded."

Jonathon Tilmouth's lawyer, Eve Dickenson, told the court her client had been sharing a dorm with 18 other men, with four fans between them, and had to wear the same clothes for up to six days straight "without the ability to change or wash properly".

"This obviously created hygiene concerns for the men and contributed to overall general feelings of degradation and neglect within the prison," she said.

Ms Dickenson said due to staffing issues, the prisoners were required to eat meals on their beds or on the floor of their dormitory.

The ABC's recent coverage of conditions inside the facility — described by community leaders and a correctional officer in the article as "inhumane" — was also tendered as evidence for Judge Bamber to consider.

But the prosecution argued that where the prisoners were injured in the process of guards suppressing the riot, it was "entirely their own fault" and should not be considered a mitigating circumstance.

The prosecution also argued the "more restrictive conditions" placed on prisoners after the riot should not be considered extra punishment but as a legitimate way of "isolating risky offenders".

Judge Bamber said while he accepted that the conditions at the time "were more harsh or inconvenient or oppressive than normal", the prisoners' treatment after the riot came in response to their own actions.

Mr Nolan's mother, Giselle Barku, travelled seven hours to support her 22-year-old son in court.

"The conditions in prison are so terrible that they can't handle it," she told the ABC outside the court.

The sentences for each of the men not still behind bars were suspended immediately, while the rest will serve them concurrently with those for their previous offences.