Recommendation 1
Review the findings of the inquest into the death of Mootijah Shillingsworth and consider changes to medical induction processes to improve identification of chronic middle ear infections in at-risk populations.
Recommendation 2
Review Disability Coordination Team referral processes and address feedback loop error from Health Services.
Recommendation 3
Expedite development of a well-resourced disability services team for adult prisoners.
Recommendation 4
Develop a policy framework for identifying disabilities in young people who enter custody.
Recommendation 5
Examine the cost-benefits of using ShoeBox to screen all people in custody for hearing loss.
Recommendation 6
Establish in policy expanded eligibility criteria for providing Department-subsidised hearing aids to people in custody.
Recommendation 7
Amend PM15 – Additional Medical Costs and Orthopedic Appliances to reflect current practice that prisoners are not required to purchase replacement hearing aid batteries at their own expense.
Recommendation 8
Amend custodial policies to encourage staff to consider how a known or suspected impairment or disability many relate to, or partly explain, poor behaviour or misconduct.
Recommendation 9
Introduce sound amplification technology into classrooms and treatment program rooms to improve accessibility for hearing-impaired people in custody.
Recommendation 10
Explore alternative methods for communicating announcements, instructions and emergency warning to people in custody with sensory impairments such as hearing loss.
Recommendation 11
Provide custodial staff with training on hearing health and common behaviours associated with hearing-impaired people in custody.
DOJ Response – People in custody with a hearing impairment