Women still form a relatively small proportion of Western Australia’s prison population but their numbers have grown quickly, and at a much faster rate than male numbers. At the time of writing, there were 486 women in prison, a staggering increase of 40 per cent in five years (in July 2009 there were 350). The …

Although there is still work to be done, Greenough now offers an improved environment, culture and services to its female prisoners. This is a credit to the prison management and staff, especially given the very limited additional resources that were made available to the prison. Unit Four and its immediate surrounds are now known as …

After a difficult start, Greenough’s female prisoners have settled into the new unit well. It generally has a sense of calm, particularly compared with the loud, frenetic and stressed environment of Bandyup. The infrastructure for women prisoners at Greenough represents a marked improvement. Services and opportunities for rehabilitation have also improved in several areas. The …

Recommendation 1: With a particular focus on women prisoners, and without compromising public safety, the Government and the Department should examine efficiencies and introduce initiatives to reduce the number of prisoners. Options include improved bail co-ordination/support, better program delivery, and wider use of electronic monitoring/GPS tracking. Recommendation 2: The Department should: (a) Identify and address …