Report of an unannounced inspection of Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison / Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services, Western Australia

Description

This report of an unannounced inspection of Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison (WA), which is one of four “Aboriginal prisons” in Western Australia, finds the prison to be a distressing place, leaving abiding impressions of prisoner sadness and anger, staff frustration and apathy, and ultimately a sense of outrage. The report describes conditions at the prison and critical factors in its problems, which include industrial and management issues, security issues, and conditions for Aboriginal prisoners which amount to structural racism. The report makes a number of recommendations, including recommendations for the building of new prison facilities at both Eastern Goldfields Prison and Broome Prison, and sets out the response of the Western Australian Department of Justice to these recommendations. The Department of Justice’s Action Plan commits to an improvement program which began immediately following the inspection and is still proceeding.