The mother of former Don Dale youth detainee Dylan Voller says her son is too scared to give evidence at the royal commission into youth detention in the Northern Territory for fear of retribution, and he has plans to go on a hunger strike.

Voller had been expected to give evidence at the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory about his experiences as a child detainee at Darwin's Don Dale youth detention centre.

He is now 19 and detained at Darwin's adult prison, where his mother Joanne Voller said he had been threatened with violence by some of the guards.

Joanne Voller was found guilty of assaulting a police officer shortly after a report on her son aired. ( ABC News: Nadia Daly )

Ms Voller told the ABC her son did not want to give evidence to the royal commission via a telelink with guards "standing next to him".

"He's starting to get to the point where maybe he doesn't want to give evidence, because he feels that he's not going to be safe to give evidence, and he feels that he might go on a hunger strike as of Monday over the concerns of his safety," Ms Voller said.

Ms Voller said she had taken her concerns for her son's safety to Dale Wakefield, her local member in Alice Springs, who is also the Minister for Territory Families.

"What caused me great concern is that when I said to her can she assure my son's safety, and she said, 'no, I can't guarantee your son's safety'," Ms Voller said.

"I said, 'will my son come out of jail alive — can you guarantee that?' She said, 'no, I can't guarantee that'."

Ms Wakefield said it was clear Ms Voller was a very worried mother.

"She is concerned about her son; it's a very stressful situation, I think anyone in this situation would feel very stressed and concerned," she said.

"She lives in my electorate [so] I undertook to take those questions about his safety and get reassurances from the right people."

She said the Corrections Commissioner, who is responsible for all adult prisoners in the NT, reassured Justice Minister Natasha Fyles "that all the correct procedures are being followed and prisoner safety remains his highest priority".

Ms Wakefield said Ms Voller had been advised to speak to the ombudsman if she wanted an independent assessment of that claim.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner said he supported anyone giving evidence to the royal commission.

"The Attorney-General and the Corrections Commissioner are aware of the concerns and the Corrections Commissioner is providing that assurance of the duty of care to people in the prison and that extends to Dylan, it definitely extends to Dylan," Mr Gunner said.

Assurances over prisoner safety sought but not given

At the royal commission hearing on Monday, Keith Hamburger, the author of a damning report into the state of the Territory's corrections facilities gave evidence to the royal commissioner.

Mr Hamburger recounted that following the Four Corners report, both he and the NT Commissioner for Corrections, Mark Payne, had been asked by former Chief Minister Adam Giles whether "no child would die in detention that evening".

Mr Hamburger said neither he nor Mr Payne had been able to give any such assurance.

Dylan Voller was one of the youth detainees shown on the Four Corners program that sparked the royal commission.

One video showed Voller hooded in a restraint chair, where he was left for a period of time after threatening to self-harm.

His mother said she had requested to speak to the Chief Minister Michael Gunner.