Why a prison unit sits empty amid overcrowding crisis

WA's maximum-security prisons are overcrowded. (Supplied: Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services) Link copiedShareShare articleOvercrowded prisons breed dangerous conditions behind their walls and beyond. So why has the WA government allowed a prison unit capable of holding more than 100 men to sit empty for at least a week during an overcrowding crisis? The notorious Unit 18, a makeshift youth detention facility within the adult Casuarina Prison, remains open six months after the WA coroner, examining the suicide death of 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd, recommended its urgent closure. It was revealed in parliament this week, that there was just one young person in the unit in the last full week of April and none in the week to Tuesday May 5. Unit 18 sits within the maximum-security adult Casuarina Prison. (ABC News: James Carmody) When the state government allocates its spoils in each year's budget, some areas are prioritised over others. Voters are always calling for more money for housing, hospitals and roads, and governments are never shy to throw billions of dollars in those directions. Youth detention and adult prisons aren't big vote winners, which is one of the key reasons both have been in crisis in recent years. That has led to the adult prison system being at "over 101 per cent capacity" according to Inspector Ryan. Part of the problem is that WA's prison population has grown rapidly post-COVID, which the government attributes partly to its tougher stance against family and domestic violence. That rapid growth wouldn't be a problem if the government had built the prison capacity needed to house all those people. WA Prison Officers Union secretary Andy Smith says his members are bearing the brunt of the lack of investment. "Over the years we've seen bunk beds put in and now we've got mattresses on floors and that should not be happening," he said. Before the adult system reached its current levels of crisis, the Justice Department's attention was on a youth detention system which had descended into chaos. By mid-2022, Justice Department officials were terrified they were going to lose control of the state's only youth detention centre at Banksia Hill. In the days after WA's first recorded death in juvenile detention, the government sacked its corrective services commissioner, Mike Reynolds. Now, for the first time, he details the chaos behind the scenes during his tenure. Their solution was to remove 128 hardened cells designed for maximum-security male prisoners at Casuarina Prison and use it to hold children and teenagers. It took just nine days to convert the facility which opened without many of the supports those young people needed. Just over a year later, 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd took his own life in his cell in the unit, becoming Western Australia's first recorded death in youth detention. Cleveland Dodd self-harmed in his cell at Unit 18. (Supplied: Family) A landmark coronial inquest into his death found the tragedy was preventable, that Unit 18 was at times "reminiscent of 19th century jails" and that young people should be moved out urgently, despite improvements since Cleveland's death. A question by Greens MP Brad Pettitt to parliament this week revealed Unit 18 has sat empty for at least a week. "This is an opportunity to fix two problems," Mr Pettitt said. "The key problems coming out of the inquest around having kids in an adult facility but also opening up more of the adult facilities to adults as is meant to be and addressing overcrowding issues." Brad Pettitt says Unit 18 should be used to alleviate overcrowding. (ABC News: Kenith Png) The Justice Department said the low numbers at Unit 18 reflect "a deliberate approach to ensure it is used only when necessary". "Numbers at Unit 18, and across the youth detention system more broadly, will continue to fluctuate depending on the needs and risk profiles of individual young people," a department spokesperson said. The department argued that improvements in conditions at Banksia Hill have only been possible because any particularly challenging young people could be moved to Unit 18. "A separate facility remains important to ensure these risks can be managed safely without broader disruptions, including lockdowns affecting other young people," the spokesperson said. The youth detention system is still relatively early in its recovery, after it was allowed to descend into such a crisis that two young people took their own lives within a year and the Supreme Court twice ruled the government was breaking its own laws by keeping detainees in solitary confinement. The state government is forging ahead with the construction of a new $156 million youth detention centre in Perth to replace Unit 18, but it's not due for completion until 2028. The WA government is planning a new youth detention facility to replace Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison. (ABC News: Keane Bourke ) In the adult system, the Justice Depar

Why a prison unit sits empty amid overcrowding crisis

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