125: Inspection of Post-Incident Management of Prisoners at Greenough Regional Prison

In the afternoon and evening of Tuesday 24 July 2018, a major disturbance occurred at Greenough Regional Prison (Greenough), in the state’s mid-west. Prisoners took control of the prison, set fires, and threatened staff with makeshift weapons. Male prisoners gained access to the female unit. Ten men escaped. Although control was re-established the following morning, …

Towards the end of 2018, Greenough was progressing towards a normal regime. In mid-December, repairs to Unit 4 at Greenough had returned it to specification. Just before Christmas: 25 men in Unit 5 (self-care) had been moved to the self-care side of Unit 4; the most compliant men in Unit 2 had filled the rest …

In August, our Office brought forward its inspection of Greenough Regional Prison, scheduled for mid-2019, following a loss of control incident at the prison in July 2018. The focus of our inspection was on the recovery of the prison in the days, weeks, and months following the event. Our report assessed: Post-incident management, support and …

Recommendation 1 In the immediate aftermath of a major disturbance, consideration needs to be given to meeting the health and welfare needs of prisoners. Recommendation 2 Having regard to security and infrastructure conditions, timely recovery to a normal regime must be a priority for emergency management planning. Recommendation 3 After a major disturbance, the Department …