Current inspections and reviews
This list includes:
- Inspections and Reviews which have been announced and are in progress
- Inspections and Reviews which have been completed and a report is being prepared
An announced inspection of Bandyup Women’s Prison was conducted between 10 to 15 September 2023.
A draft report is being prepared.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the second quarter of 2024.
An announced inspection of Melaleuca Women’s Prison was conducted between 12 to 17 November 2023.
A draft report is being prepared.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the third quarter of 2024.
An announced inspection of Albany Regional Prison was conducted between 5 to 9 February 2024.
A draft report is being prepared.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the fourth quarter of 2024.
An announced inspection of Court Custody Centre’s and the Fiona Stanley Hospital Secure Facility was conducted between September and November 2023.
A draft report is being prepared.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the fourth quarter of 2024.
An announced inspection of Boronia Pre-release Centre for Women was conducted between 24 to 29 March 2024.
A draft report is being prepared.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the fourth quarter of 2024.
An announced inspection of Hakea Prison was conducted between 6 to 15 May 2024.
A draft report is being prepared.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the first quarter of 2025.
An announced inspection of Acacia Prison is scheduled to take place between 14 to 23 October 2024.
The inspection will assess Acacia’s progress since the 2021 inspection. All aspects of current operations and services will be examined. All inspection work will be conducted within the framework of the Inspectorate’s Revised Code of Inspection Standards for Adult Custodial Services.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the third quarter of 2025.
People with intellectual disabilities are over-represented amongst people in custody. It is estimated that between 15 and 30 per cent of people in custody have an intellectual or cognitive impairment. This compares to approximately two to three per cent in the general population.
Intellectual disabilities are particularly prevalent in the youth custodial estate. A study of young people in Banksia Hill Detention Centre found 89 per cent had at least one domain of severe neurodevelopmental impairment, and 36 per cent were diagnosed with FASD.
Considering these numbers, it is important to recognise the challenges people with intellectual disabilities may face while in custody. For instance, they may struggle to understand the instructions of custodial staff. This may then be interpreted as deliberate non-compliance and result in disciplinary actions. Some intellectual disabilities, such as FASD, impact executive functioning and impulse control. This can manifest in violent or non-conforming behaviour, placing themselves or others at risk.
People with intellectual disability may also be at greater risk of exploitation and abuse while in prison or detention.
Early identification of people in custody with an intellectual disability helps ensure they are provided with appropriate supports and services.
This review will examine the identification, management and supports available to people with intellectual disabilities in Western Australian custodial facilities, guided by the following terms of reference:
- Does the Department adequately identify people in custody with intellectual disabilities?
- Does the Department adequately manage people in custody with intellectual disabilities?
- Do people in custody with intellectual disabilities have access to appropriate supports and services?
For the purpose of this review, the term intellectual disabilities include cognitive disabilities (including low IQ), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) and those with Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI).
People in custody experiencing acute distress should have access to appropriate crisis care. Mental health disorders affect a significant proportion of the Australian community. It is estimated that approximately 44 per cent of Australians have experienced some form of mental illness within their lifetime (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022). Consequently, this trend translates into custodial populations with people in custody experiencing high levels of psychological distress and mental illness. The high rate of mental illness can lead persons in custody to be at an increased risk of self-harm or suicide which requires intervention in the form of crisis care.
Many of the larger metropolitan facilities in Western Australia have dedicated crisis care units. These spaces are often in addition to ‘safe cells’ or ‘observational cells’ for those experiencing an immediate threat to self or others. However, smaller facilities including minimum-security and regional facilities may be less equipped to support of the needs and requirements of people in custody experiencing crises. A range of accommodation is needed to support the overall health and wellbeing of this cohort. This includes general accommodation units, step-up and step-down subacute units and more intensive supervision settings with access to appropriate support services.
Previous OICS inspection reports have found the existing physical infrastructure to be anti-therapeutic in design and functionality. This is critical as the physical environment can impact an individual’s social and emotional wellbeing and behaviour (Lopez & Maiello-Reidy, 2017).
Crisis care accommodation should be designed to facilitate recovery and rehabilitation. Environments which incorporate elements of nature and ample natural lighting have been shown to positively enhance psychological wellbeing (Nanda et al., 2013). Wide open spaces with clear sightlines allow for predictability and can reduce psychological stress. Similarly, soft furnishings and the use of specific colours can have a calming effect (Lopez & Maiello-Reidy, 2017).
In recent years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recorded an increasing number of self-harm related incidents in adult prisons and youth detention. These include attempted suicides, serious self-harms, and minor self-harms. Between 2018-2023, there was a 113 per cent increase in self-harm incidents. Consequently, this highlights the need for appropriate crisis care support and accommodation.
This review will examine the availability and design of crisis care accommodation in custody and the experiences of people using these facilities. It will be guided by the following terms of reference:
- What is the experience of people in custody who access crisis care accommodation?
- Does crisis care accommodation adhere to therapeutic design principles?
- Is there sufficient crisis care accommodation to meet demand?
A report on this review is anticipated to be available to the public in August 2024
All people in custody should be provided the opportunity to practice the religion, cultural or spiritual expression of their choice safely. This includes having the ability to practice any religious beliefs and access worship and faith-based groups and activities. Prison management should facilitate access to multi-faith services, and any artefacts, publications, clothing or foods necessary to allow individuals to maintain adherence to their religious lifestyle requirements.
Additionally, chaplains provide an important role connecting people in custody with faith services. They facilitate multi-faith religious and spiritual services and work with spiritual leaders to meet the needs of people in custody. They also provide pastoral care – offering emotional support to people in need regardless of faith. This often includes prisoners who are grieving or being monitored under the at-risk management system. As such, chaplains are an important element of the prisoner support system. They are also active participants in the prison or detention centre community, building strong relationships and assisting people in custody along their rehabilitation journey.
Consistent with other jurisdictions, the Department of Justice has outsourced the provision of religious and spiritual services, including chaplains. In Western Australia the Council of Churches of Western Australia Inc. (CCWA) provides these services under a five-year contract. As a Christian-based organisation, the CCWA are expected to work with leaders of other faiths as required to meet the needs of all people in custody.
This review will examine the delivery of chaplaincy and faith services for people in custody in Western Australia to assess for equity and effectiveness.
Banksia Hill Detention Centre and Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison were last inspected in February 2023. That inspection found young people, staff, and a physical environment in acute crisis. As such, the Inspector made the unusual decision to produce his findings in a truncated and expedited report to focus on the immediate concerns challenging youth custody.
A second report was intended in the following months focussing on welfare and other supports available and accessible to the young people. However, this plan was undone by a major riot at Banksia Hill. The riot resulted in significant infrastructure damage and was a further setback leading to restrictions to the daily regime that negatively affected the services expected to be considered in the second report. The situation deteriorated further culminating in the tragic suicide of Master Dodd in October 2023. During this period, the intended objective of the second report could not be achieved with many services not consistently delivered.
Throughout 2023 and 2024 OICS has continued to closely monitor service delivery and out of cell hours with regular visits and data monitoring, tracking and analysis. Some signs of improvement were observed with better staffing numbers and a return of services like education, psychology, case management support, community in-reach, recreation, and other supports. However, our most recent visits and data analysis note some slippage.
This review will examine young people’s access to services since the last inspection focussing on young people’s time out of cell attending education and programs, as well as their access to available welfare and support services. The terms of reference are:
- Has adequate progress been achieved in service accessibility for young people since the OICS inspection in February 2023?
- Has any deterioration in progress been mitigated to the best it can by appropriate departmental contingency planning?
Page last updated: 25 Jun 2024