We are well beyond the tipping point now, but how much further can this go before real action is taken?

These things we know: Goulburn Correctional Centre is over-populated. It is short-staffed and under-resourced. More and more inmates are being filtered through the court system on charges of possessing weapons inside the facility.

In December, prison officers walked off the job, citing safety and security issues. In January, the Prison Officers Vocational Branch blamed overcrowding for two brawls that broke out within a week.

"The unrest at the centre is high ... and officers are concerned about the level of violence," Prison Officers Vocational Branch chair Steve McMahon said then.

Just weeks later, another two altercations, this time so severe an unnamed inmate was stabbed multiple times and scalded with hot water.

Not much is known about the second assault, other than that it occurred and resulted in another hospitalisation.

This is a tale we've already told, yet here we are telling it again. Why? Because it's not getting any better.

The standard response when asked for information on these matters is "it's under investigation".

Where do these investigations lead?

NSW Prisons need long-term solutions. We'll keep the pressure on till we see some.