The use of confinement and management regimes can be harmful. The deprivation of entitlements and social isolation experienced by prisoners in confinement can have a significant impact on their wellbeing. While improvements can be made to mitigate some of these negative impacts, it was reassuring to find that the use of restricted regimes across the custodial estate was generally consistent with policy and legislation.
Improvements in transparency will assist the Department’s oversight of confinement and management regime practices in Western Australian prisons. This will also help ensure a high standard of compliance is maintained when using restrictive regimes and areas for improvement are readily identified.