The transport of prisoners in regional WA is being conducted "safely and efficiently", a report has found, 15 years after the death of an Aboriginal elder from severe heatstroke in a private security contractor's van.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains the name of a person who has died.
A 66-page report was tabled in WA parliament today by the Inspector of Custodial Services, Eamon Ryan, which found prisoner transports were "generally of a high standard".
"More than a decade after the tragic passing of Mr Ward in the back of an unairconditioned prison vehicle, this review has found regional custodial transport policies and practices have maintained a clear focus on safety, prisoner welfare, and mitigating security risks," Mr Ryan said.
"We very much welcome that finding."
Mr Ward, as he is known for cultural reasons, died on January 27, 2008 while being transported 360km from Laverton to Kalgoorlie-Boulder in a prisoner transport van without air conditioning.
The coroner found the 46-year-old Aboriginal elder collapsed in the rear pod, where the inside temperature was estimated to have reached 50 degrees.
Mr Ward suffered thermal burns and his body temperature at Kalgoorlie Hospital following his death was 41.7 degrees, exceeding the normal range of 36-37 degrees.
Commenting after the release of today's report, Mr Ryan said Mr Ward's death served as a "tragic reminder of the deadly consequences that can result when compliance vigilance slips".
"Transporting prisoners over long distances comes with inherent risks that are only genuinely mitigated when on-the-ground actions match policy and procedure put in place to safeguard against unsafe or inhumane practices for prisoners," he said.
'Safety, welfare and dignity'
The Department of Justice has supported 11 of the 14 recommendations made in the review, which raised concerns around the quality of risk assessments, the effectiveness of mental health transfer plans, and the inconsistent use of restraints on flights.
In September, a 17-year-old detainee allegedly lunged at a pilot as he was being transferred from Broome to Perth on board a charter flight.
The review also highlighted the experience of a female Aboriginal prisoner named "Anna", who was not provided access to a toilet on a Geraldton to Perth transfer and spent much of the trip in urine-soaked clothing.
"Anna's experience highlights how the safety, welfare and dignity of a prisoner can be jeopardised when there is a lack of compliance and poor transparency," Mr Ryan said.
"No person should have to endure the type of treatment experienced by Anna on that journey."
The review made 10 findings about Anna's experience, including ineffective pre-movement risk assessments, the use of handcuffs and leg restraints without appropriate documentation to justify that decision, and escorting staff not appropriately documenting events.
One escape incident
Of the 65,191 prisoner movements between 2018 and 2021, two-thirds — or 63.2 per cent — were conducted by private security provider Ventia.
The Department of Justice conducted 29 per cent of transports, WA Police conducted 2.5 per cent and the Special Operations Group (SOG) performed 104 movements for high-risk or high-security prisoners.
There was only one escape from custody incident and two attempted escapes.
The escaped prisoner, who pushed past officers while a plane was refuelling at Karratha airport, absconded on foot over the perimeter fence and into nearby bushland but was apprehended by police 30 minutes later.
There were 17,210 prisoner transfers and 961 visits to funerals or ill relatives.
Albany Regional Prison recorded the highest volume of inter-prison transfers, mostly between Hakea and Casuarina prisons.
The review found that Albany Regional Prison routinely failed to perform risk assessments against department policy, with only two done for 22 inter-prison transfers in 2021.
Prisoners travelling locally for external recreation (16 per cent), those being received into prison from a police lock-up or local court (15 per cent), and those being transported to a health appointment (14 per cent) were the other most common reasons for prisoner transports.
The review identified one female Aboriginal prisoner who had been transferred 27 times between 2018 and 2021.
Her time in custody included 10 stays at Broome Regional Prison, seven stays at Bandyup Women's Prison, seven stays at West Kimberley Regional Prison, two stays at Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison and one stay each at Greenough Regional Prison and Roebourne Regional Prison.
Prisoner transports 'complex'
The review comes after the WA government extended the contract of Ventia (formerly Broadspectrum) in January to provide court security and custodial services.
Ventia has held the contract since 2017 and told the ASX the new four-year deal was worth $229 million.
At the time, Ventia said it was able to "balance security and welfare in complex operating environments".
According to the review, Ventia escorting staff are required to conduct welfare checks of prisoners every 15 minutes throughout a journey.
The review also found no evidence to suggest there were systemic issues with the cleanliness of vehicles, despite anecdotal evidence that vehicles, particularly in WA's north, were "regularly unclean and unhygienic".
"Overall, this review found that the delivery of regional and remote prisoner transports is a complex operation that is generally delivered in a safe, secure and humane manner," Mr Ryan said.
"Maintaining a focus on policy and procedural compliance, across all aspects of prisoner transport, will assist the department in preventing unsafe or inhumane practices."
