- The findings of the 2012 inspection of Greenough were mixed. Staff remained a committed and cohesive group but relationships with management had been undermined by instability in the senior management team. Staff vacancies and shortages and budget restrictions had contributed to increased workload and stress for staff throughout the prison. The inspection found a significant drop in staff morale.
- Under this pressure, the amount of interaction and quality of engagement between staff (particularly prison officers) and prisoners had decreased.
- Ageing infrastructure and inadequate maintenance of the facility had created potential health and safety risks for both staff and prisoners and had impacted negatively on living and working conditions.
- Conditions at Greenough are extremely mixed. Some areas are adequate but others are poor. The double bunking arrangements, criticised in previous reports, remain very problematic. Most of the cells are very cramped, with a degrading lack of privacy, and in many the arrangements for accessing top bunks pose risk of serious injury.
- The redevelopment of Unit 4 and associated increase in women prisoner numbers promised to significantly improve service provision and living conditions for women at Greenough. However, in the short term the conditions for women prisoners had declined.
- Health services at Greenough had been fragile at times over the previous three years. At the time of the inspection, however, staffing and service provision was greatly improved. The inspection findings in relation to health services were largely positive.
- Some of the initiatives and services aimed at Aboriginal prisoners at Greenough were excellent, but there were also missed opportunities and Aboriginal culture was not generally reflected in the day-to-day operation of the prison.