In 2015 Pardelup Prison Farm was the only prison in Western Australia providing facility wide single cell accommodation, and the only site without a secure perimeter fence. Prisoners were given trust, personal responsibility, and the opportunity for real work.
Pardelup had benefited from stable management, tight budget control, sound local strategic planning, and a safe and supportive environment for staff and prisoners. Full employment was carefully balanced with education and training, and delivery of health services was adequate, despite the isolation of the site, and the increased risk associated with farm work across diverse industries.
Pardelup had expanded its agricultural industries, doubling market garden and orchard plantings, refining hydroponic tomato cropping, and earning significant profit from sale of cattle and sheep into the open market. An independent assessment of the Pardelup agribusinesses found them on a par with regional best practice, but suffering from an inability to re-invest profits in agricultural machinery, equipment and fixed assets.
Despite the inspection finding in 2012 that Pardelup attracted too few Aboriginal prisoners, and the noble intentions espoused in its Reconciliation Action Plan (2015), the Department had been unable to implement processes that increased numbers of Noongar prisoners progressing to the farm.