Hakea, Casuarina, Melaleuca prison conditions likened to Greenough jail prior to 2018 riot: report

Deteriorating conditions at Hakea, Casuarina and Melaleuca Women’s prisons have been compared to the warning signs of the Greenough Regional Prison riot in 2018, with calls for immediate action before it is too late.

On Tuesday, the inspector of custodial services Eamon Ryan released a report detailing conditions at the three metropolitan prisons which led to the issuing of a show cause notice.

Mr Ryan noted Hakea Prison had multiple shortfalls over the last two years which had now led to a system-wide breakdown, impacting multiple other facilities.

From the serious risks to safety, security and welfare of prisoners identified by Mr Ryan, he said the conditions resembled Greenough Regional Prison before the riot eight years ago.

He said he could draw parallels between Greenough, Hakea, Casuarina and Melaleuca with the warning signs of “force, assaults and self-harm”.

“There is no longer a problem confined to a single facility — it reflects a systemic failure across multiple prisons,” Mr Ryan said.

“Current conditions pose a serious risk to the safety and wellbeing of both prisoners and staff, and in some cases may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”

From the assessment, Mr Ryan said the significant degrade in conditions across the WA prison system could be attributed to sustained population growth and workforce shortfalls.

According to the report, these factors drove an increase in overcrowding, routine lockdowns and restricted access to services, increasing levels of harm across the system.

On July 24, 2018, Geraldton’s Greenough Regional Prison experienced a riot which led to immense damage and nine inmates escaping.

A critical incident review was commissioned following the incident to find the root causes, which were similar to the current problems at Hakea — staffing shortages, disrupted routines and inadequate security.