GRAFTON VOCAL IN GAOL PROBE

THE closure of Grafton Jail dominated the Upper House inquiry into NSW jail downsizing and closures.

Christian Democrat Member of the Legislative Council and select committee chair Paul Green said it wasn't surprising most of the submissions came from Grafton following the local reaction in July last year.

"We can't do much more than ask people to write in and the majority of people did from Grafton," Mr Green said.

A report should be tabled in June after the final hearing was held earlier this month, but one former governor of Grafton Jail has expressed his disappointment the NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith did not appear.

John Heffernan said he read the minutes of the third and last hearing with "interest" and "concern".

"I find it extremely disappointing that the Attorney-General was not requested to give evidence before the inquiry," Mr Heffernan said in a letter to select committee member, Labor MLC Mick Veitch.

"In effect, this means that no one who was actually involved in the decision to downsize Grafton Correctional Centre has been called upon to account or to justify the reasons offered at the time.

"The two individuals most responsible, the former commissioner, Ron Woodham, and the former deputy commissioner, Ian MacLean, are now both long gone.

"I suspect therefore we will never really know why a government chose to effectively walk all over the top of a small community."