Western Australia’s Prison Capacity

Western Australia’s prison population has risen very rapidly over recent years. Two new prisons have opened in the last four years (West Kimberley and Eastern Goldfields Regional Prisons) but the system has largely absorbed the extra numbers by adding bunk beds to single cells and by adding new accommodation units to existing prisons. This has …

This review found that : most of our prisons are very crowded (too many prisoners for the available space and facilities) the Department’s method of reporting has hidden the extent of the problem too many prisoners are held in cells that do not comply with Australasian standards and even International Committee of the Red Cross …

WA’s prison population has expanded rapidly ‘Design capacity’ is the most accurate measure of prison capacity Our prisons are above or at ‘capacity’ depending on the measure used on 30 June 2016 the WA prison system was at 148 per cent of ‘design capacity’ on 30 June 2016 the WA prison system was at 97 …

Recommendation 1: That the Department commence planning and seek government approval for a new metropolitan prison catering primarily for male remandees. Recommendation 2: That the government commit to a progressive replacement of old facilities, ensuring replacement facilities meet the Standard Guidelines for Prison Facilities in Australia and New Zealand. Recommendation 3: That the Department commit …