The Department of Justice has developed measures to enhance safety and welfare at Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
This includes a review of infrastructure needs in the State’s youth justice system and measures to increase staffing.
The Department will undertake the review in conjunction with the Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Treasury, with the aim of making an overall assessment of the State’s current and planned youth custodial assets.
It will investigate whether current facilities are fit-for-purpose and determine if improvements or additional infrastructure are required to meet long-term needs.
Minister for Corrective Services, Paul Papalia said safety at Banksia Hill would be enhanced for staff and young people with additional Prison Officers to provide greater security, enabling Youth Custodial Officers to focus on rehabilitation, mentoring and the delivery of a new model of care.
“The Government will introduce legislative changes to enable this, and there will be specialised training and working-with-children checks for Prison Officers employed at the Centre,” Mr Papalia said.
“The additional staffing will improve safety and security, and increase out-of-cell hours for those in detention.”
The Department of Justice has begun a consultation with Indigenous leaders who will provide advice as a new model of care is adopted.
In a statement, the Department said Aboriginal mediators were also being engaged to assist with mentoring and the safe resolution of critical incidents.
“This is in direct response to calls from Aboriginal community members to enable Elders to provide this assistance,” the Department said.
“Furthermore, the Department will appoint an Aboriginal Health Service to provide culturally-appropriate care for young people at the facility.”
Premier, Roger Cook said law changes to require those who reach the age of 18 while in juvenile detention to be transferred to an adult prison, had passed Parliament.
“These amendments will increase the separation of adults and children in youth detention, further improving safety and security at the Banksia Hill Detention Centre,” Mr Cook said.
“We know there is no quick fix. We are dealing with the most complex situations in the Corrective Services space. If we are going to improve the situation, we must get the basics right first — this means a boost to staffing and improvements to infrastructure.”
