153: Inspection of Bunbury Regional Prison

Bunbury is the largest regional prison in Western Australia and the fourth largest in the state after Acacia, Casuarina, and Hakea prisons. Bunbury is now larger than Casuarina Prison when it first opened but without the range of infrastructure, staff, or management that prison has attracted. Its physical footprint adds further resourcing and logistical complexities …

A historically strong performer, that may not be sustainable Bunbury Regional Prison (Bunbury) has consistently performed well across the prison estate. But the largest regional prison in Western Australia lacked a strategic plan and relied on a management structure that had not been reviewed for 12 years, despite the prison’s growth and increasingly diverse functions. …

Historically, Bunbury has been a high performing prison. With capacity for almost 570 men, it is now the fourth largest in Western Australia and expected to deliver a broad range of services, programs and reintegration supports to an increasingly diverse prisoner cohort. But we found inadequate infrastructure had not kept pace with expansion and leadership …

Recommendation 1 The Department should develop a strategic plan that identifies priorities for all prisons, their role within the system and how prisons achieve that vision. Recommendation 2 The Department should review the adequacy of Bunbury’s management and leadership positions. Recommendation 3 The Department should audit Bunbury’s infrastructure and capacity to meet the needs of …