WA Prison Unit Sits Empty Amid Overcrowding Crisis

Western Australia faces a stark paradox: a prison unit designed for over 100 individuals sits vacant while the state grapples with a severe prison overcrowding crisis. This situation, particularly concerning Unit 18 within the Casuarina Prison, highlights a critical failure in resource management and a disregard for safety recommendations. The fact that this unit, intended for youth detention, remains operational despite a coroner's call for its closure after a tragic suicide, raises serious questions about the government's priorities and its commitment to humane correctional practices.

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It seems a terrible waste to have that facility sitting there with no one in it, at a time where you have men sleeping on a mattress on the floor in a cell occupied by two other people.

The Inspector of Custodial Services, Eamon Ryan, rightly points out the "terrible waste" of a facility lying empty when inmates are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor in already occupied cells. This inefficiency is compounded by the broader issue of prison overcrowding, which has pushed the adult system to over 101 percent capacity. The rapid growth in the prison population, partly fueled by a tougher stance on domestic violence, has outpaced the government's investment in necessary infrastructure, creating a volatile environment for both prisoners and staff.

The union representing prison officers, led by secretary Andy Smith, bears witness daily to the consequences of this neglect. His members are on the front lines, facing angry prisoners and dealing with chronic understaffing, a direct result of years of underfunding that has led to makeshift solutions like bunk beds and mattresses on floors. This is not merely an operational issue; it's a human rights concern, as overcrowding breeds dangerous conditions that can have devastating outcomes, as tragically demonstrated by the death of 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd.

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Over the years we've seen bunk beds put in and now we've got mattresses on floors and that should not be happening.

Furthermore, the history of Unit 18 itself is fraught with controversy. Its conversion into a youth detention facility was a hasty response to chaos at the Banksia Hill detention center, opening with inadequate support systems for the young people housed there. The subsequent death of Cleveland Dodd in Unit 18, and the ongoing coronial inquest, underscore the urgent need for systemic reform. Western Australia's correctional system is at a breaking point, and the continued neglect of basic capacity and safety standards, exemplified by the empty Unit 18, is simply unacceptable.

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So every day we're short-staffed and we've got to face angry prisoners from the minute they're unlocked in the morning.