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AAP
AAP
National
Aaron Bunch

'Pest infestations': inmates held in inhumane prison

A report has exposed the terrible conditions inmates face at Western Australia's Hakea Prison. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Inmates at a men's remand prison have limited access to fresh air, excessive lockdowns and unhygienic cells infested with pests, a scathing report from a jails' watchdog says.

People held at Western Australia's Hakea Prison were being treated in a cruel and inhumane manner, Custodial Services Inspector Eamon Ryan has found.

He said inmates regularly received less than two hours out of cell time in a 24-hour period and sometimes no time outside at all.

"Daily staffing shortages continue to have a significant impact on the prison's regime," he said on Thursday after the May 2024 inspection report was tabled in state parliament.

A prisoner is led by handcuffs (file image)
Prisoners at Hakea have limited access to meaningful activities, leading to mental health issues. (David Gray/AAP PHOTOS)

Mr Ryan found prisoners were struggling to maintain contact with families through telephone calls or arranged social visits because of increased lockdowns and staffing shortages.

Hakea, a maximum-security facility, also had an insufficient supply of clean clothing and bedding, Mr Ryan observed.

He found inmates were required to eat meals in their cells during lockdowns, leading to pest infestations and unhygienic living conditions.

Access to meaningful activity such as employment, education, programs and recreation was extremely rare and employment was generally limited to essential services such as the kitchen and laundry.

The inspector found the conditions were contributing to an increased level of prisoner anger and frustration, leading to challenging or dangerous behaviours, such as suicides, suicide attempts, serious self-harm and assaults.

Mr Ryan said Hakea regularly exceeded its operational capacity in the past 12 months.

Cells originally designed for one person were regularly occupied by three inmates, with one person sleeping on a mattress on the floor close to the toilet.

A corrections officer walks down a cell corridor (file image)
Hakea prisoners endure excessive lockdowns with little time outside cells, a report has found. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

He issued the WA Justice Department with a Show Cause Notice after the visit.

"Our ongoing monitoring at Hakea suggests that, with a few exceptions, conditions have not improved significantly since our inspection in May 2024," the inspector said.

"To date, the pace of improvement at Hakea has been too slow and the conditions for the men held there remain unsatisfactory."

About 80 per cent of the men at Hakea are unsentenced and have not been convicted of the offences for which they are being held.

The WA Justice Department said it had established a task force to improve conditions following the inspector's visit.

"We are committed to addressing (the inspector's) concerns and taking action to enhance the safety and welfare of Hakea prisoners and staff," department director general Kylie Maj said in a statement.

The department said it continued to recruit to bolster staff levels.

WA Premier Roger Cook said the state needed more prisons to accommodate the growing inmate population.

"The Department of Corrections is working tirelessly to deal with the difficult issues we confront in our prison estate," he told reporters at a press conference.

"Population growth in our prison population continues impact on the department."

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