But it is clear from the newly released CCTV vision and handy-cam recordings made by staff that only one boy escaped his cell, and that because a guard had left it unlocked.
Former corrections commissioner Ken Middlebrook told ABC last year that no overuse of gas took place, as there were just "two sprays from an aerosol in the area." But the video shows 10 bursts of tear gas sprayed into an enclosed area within 90 seconds.
Although most of the inmates obeyed orders, they were still exposed to the tear gas. The footage shows the boys running to the back of their cells, gasping for air and weeping.
According to the Human Rights Lawyer Ruth Barson, keeping children in solitary confinement is a violation of the United Nations Convention against Torture, and no circumstances can justify such measures.
Teens were reportedly locked in their cells for up to 17 days with no running water, little natural light and no access to educational materials.
In the video aired by Four Corners, the 14-year-old boy who escaped his cell can be seen repeatedly asking how long he had been in isolation and requesting to talk to staff. Instead of talking to the boy, the staff laughs and mocks him.
In the wake of the scandal, the Don Dale facility was closed and the children were moved to a run-down, older adult prison.
