Our eighth inspection of Hakea Prison found a facility in crisis, driven by a significant rise in prisoner numbers since the last inspection with limited increases to services, staffing, and resources.
Conditions for prisoners had deteriorated to unacceptable levels, with many unable to access basic essential services, clean clothing, or the minimum time out of their cells as outlined in international standards and the Department of Justice’s (the Department) own policies. This led the Inspector to issue a rare Show Cause Notice under section 33A of the Inspector of Custodial Services Act 2003.
High numbers of staff on workers’ compensation and personal leave within Hakea’s custodial staffing group led to restrictive adaptive routines being implemented daily to maintain staff safety. Recruitment efforts could not keep pace with the growing prisoner population, and we saw prisoners often confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day, with some not leaving their cells at all on certain days.
The deterioration in both physical and mental health of prisoners following extended time in cell, resulted in backlogs for clinical staff, who were overwhelmed by the volume of prisoners requiring treatment.
Positively, there were well-managed processes in the canteen, video link building and the ReSet-run family visits centre. However, we were concerned about staffing levels and the reliance on individual positions in the Official Visits area, given the increased population and demand for services.
Education and program provision at Hakea had almost stopped, with only a handful of days of education available in 2024 prior to the inspection, and no voluntary programs on offer.
Relations between prison management and the wider custodial staffing group had deteriorated, with several staff expressing frustration and exhaustion. This marked a significant shift from three years prior when we found a more settled and cohesive relationship.
The report made 15 recommendations to the Department on issues relating to staffing, infrastructure, living conditions, primary health, mental health, and rehabilitation. All but one of the recommendations were supported in some capacity.