‘Inhumane, cruel’ treatment of prisoners in WA jail

By PETER ROWE

Prisoners held at Hakea Prison in WA have been subjected to cruel, inhumane degrading conditions, a report from the Inspector of Custodial Services says.

Eamon Ryan released his damning inspection report to the WA Parliament on Thursday stating that conditions have not improved in any significant way.

“Time out of cell has only marginally improved and threats of self-harm or attempted suicides remain high,” Mr Ryan concluded.

“There continues to be limited, if any, access to programs, education, or outdoor recreation. Employment opportunities are limited to essential services. Approximately half of all scheduled visit sessions with family and friends are cancelled or reduced.”

“Daily staffing shortages continue to have a significant impact on the prison’s regime.

“And there appears to be little, if any, improvement in the fractured local relationship between prison management and the WA Prison Officers’ Union.

“The latter point is surprising, and frankly disappointing, as it would be reasonable to expect both sides to have a shared interest in progressing improvements in the conditions for staff and prisoners.

“To date, the pace of improvement at Hakea has been too slow and the conditions for the men held there remain unsatisfactory.”

The report highlighted a number of key issues that still need addressing:

• Excessive lockdowns in the months preceding and during the inspection. Records indicated that prisoners were regularly receiving less than two hours out of cell on any given day, and on some occasions they received no time out of cell in a 24-hour period.
• Time out of cell was often confined to the wing or unit. Access to outside areas and fresh air was rare.
• Access to any form of meaningful activity such as employment, education, programs, and recreation was extremely rare. Employment was generally limited to essential services such as the kitchen and laundry.
• An inability for prisoners to maintain contact with their family through telephone calls or arranged social visits due to increased lockdowns and staffing shortages.
• Insufficient supply of clean clothing and bedding, with men claiming they were required to wear the same clothing for several days.
• Meals being eaten in cell, due to excessive lockdowns, leading to pest infestations and unhygienic living conditions.

“These conditions were observed to be contributing to an increased level of anger and frustration in prisoners, which was leading to challenging or dangerous behaviours, such as suicides, suicide attempts, serious self-harm, and assaults. Concerningly, Hakea recorded more attempted suicides between January and March 2024, than throughout all of 2023,” the report says.

“Our ongoing monitoring at Hakea suggests that, with a few exceptions, conditions have not improved significantly since our inspection in May 2024,” Mr Ryan said.

A follow-up inspection report will now be prepared considering findings from an unannounced night visit to Hakea in February and an another visit last month.