136: Inspection of Melaleuca Women’s Prison

In 2016, units 11 and 12 of Hakea Prison were converted into a stand-alone prison for women. The prison was known as Melaleuca Remand and Reintegration Facility and housed women on remand and those nearing the end of their sentence preparing for release. For the first few years of operations, the prison was managed by …

Planning for the Department to resume operation of the prison was rushed and incomplete when the transition occurred. By the time of the inspection in November 2020, unit plans and local orders had been finalised however, tension and confusion amongst staff was still evident and there was still no overarching philosophy. Overall infrastructure at the …

Melaleuca transitioned from private management (under Sodexo) to public operation on 4 April 2020. It retained its role as the primary remand facility for women in Western Australia. We inspected the facility in November 2020, seven months after its transition from private to public. The process had been slow and not without challenges. But we …

Our report made 15 recommendations as follows: Recommendation 1 Develop a vision that provides a sense of purpose and direction for Melaleuca and implement a plan that outlines how to achieve this vision. Recommendation 2 Development and implement appropriate staffing models for each area of the prison. Recommendation 3 Significantly invest in infrastructure so that …