137: Inspection of Wooroloo Prison Farm

Wooroloo was built in 1914 as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. In 1960 it was transformed into a district hospital which closed in 1970. It was converted to a minimum-security facility for adult male prisoners in 1972. Wooroloo is also host for the Dowerin Work Camp. This was officially opened in its new location in …

Concerns were identified regarding some inappropriate staff behaviours. Examples provided by some staff were disturbing to hear, but the prison leadership and Department responded positively and were taking steps to address these concerns. Only two per cent of staff at Wooroloo identified as Aboriginal, compared to 13.8 percent of the prisoner population. Prisoners arriving at …

As a minimum-security prison, Wooroloo had set itself a vision to be Australia’s leading re-entry prison providing innovative and sustainable rehabilitation, improved community safety, and setting aspirational standards for all. We saw many positives during our inspection supporting this goal, including strong and stable leadership, a functional and positive health team and a constructive day …

Our report made 15 recommendations as follows: Recommendation 1 Wooroloo should take adequate steps to address staff behaviour issues to ensure that all staff are protected from any form of discrimination or intimidation. Recommendation 2 Safeguard prisoner privacy during orientation by conducting interviews in a private space. Recommendation 3 Increase the access to information and …