Prison officers from adult facilities will be sent to WA’s troubled youth detention centre under a new plan to improve safety and care for staff and detainees.

June 22, 2023

Security at Western Australia’s troubled youth detention centre will be bolstered by prison officers, as the Cook government investigates if a new facility is needed.

Corrections officers from adult facilities will improve safety for Banksia Hill’s staff and detainees, allowing youth custodial officers to focus on rehabilitation.

“This is our number one priority because once the facility is safe and secure, we will be able to properly engage the young people in rehabilitation, education and positive activities,” Premier Roger Cook said on Thursday.

“We know there is no quick fix. We are dealing with the most complex situations in the corrective services space.”

The new plan will also see Aboriginal mediators appointed to help with incident de-escalation and culturally appropriate medical services delivered through an Indigenous health provider.

A paediatric medical research institute will be contracted to provide expertise and advice on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and other neurodevelopmental conditions to improve the care provided to detainees.

The infrastructure review will investigate whether Banksia Hill remains fit for purpose, and if improvements or additional infrastructure are required to meet long-term needs.

Legislative changes will be introduced to allow prison officers to be employed at Banksia Hill. They will undergo additional training and will need working-with-children checks.

Law changes to enable youths in detention at Banksia Hill who reach the age of 18 to be transferred to adult prison are expected to be passed by state parliament this week.

Indigenous leaders have been consulted for advice about the new plan following a 12-hour riot in May that left a damage bill that could reach $30 million.

“If we are going to improve the situation, we must get the basics right first,” Mr Cook said.

The public sector union welcomed the government’s plans and said it was consulting with its members about the proposed changes.

Community and Public Sector Union branch secretary Rikki Hendon said member-led action had resulted in the proposed changes.

“Our members have fought to ensure that workplace health and safety is at the core of WA’s youth custodial estates,” she said.

“A safe centre means better outcomes for staff, better outcomes for detainees and better outcomes for the community.”

National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project organiser Megan Krakouer was pleased by some of the new measures, but said others were a backwards step and more needed to be done.

“I agree on Derbarl providing health care, but it has taken too long to get Telethon to oversee neurocognitive assessments,” she said.

“Health welfare is just a beginning, more guards are not, and a second youth prison would be disgraceful.”

There were 459 assaults on youth detention staff in the 12 months to June.