The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services has announced an inspection of work camps across Western Australia.
External activities – including employment and resocialisation – are an important element in a prisoner’s rehabilitation and reintegration journey. Work camps provide adult male prisoners an opportunity to participate in meaningful work in a community environment. These opportunities assist with developing vocational and personal skills, which can help increase their prospects for a successful transition to community upon release.
There are five work camps currently operating in association with a custodial facility, including Wyndham Work Camp (Broome Regional Prison), Warburton Work Camp (Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison), Walpole Work Camp (Pardelup Prison Farm), Roebourne Town Work Camp (Roebourne Regional Prison), and Dowerin Work Camp (Wooroloo Prison Farm). There are no work camps based in the metropolitan area and no work camps for women in custody.
The inspection is an opportunity to assess the role and function of work camps in the Western Australian custodial estate, providing a follow-up to the 2015 inspection report and 2013 thematic review. In particular, the inspection will focus on:
- Prisoners’ access to work camps
- The rehabilitation and reintegration opportunities available to work camp residents, and
- How effectively work camps engage with, and contribute to, the local community.
The inspection report is expected to be tabled in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Click here to read the 2015 inspection report of work camps.
