Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised this next story contains an image of a person who has died and is used with the permission of family. The story also contains details which some viewers may find confronting. The West Australian corruption and crime commission has launched an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct by public officers following the death of an Indigenous teenager found unresponsive at a youth detention unit. Cleveland Dodd spent the past week in a critical condition in hospital after attempting to take his own life. He died last night.
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00:00 The last words Cleveland uttered to his grandmother.
00:05 He said, "Nana, I'm coming home."
00:07 The reality that he won't, unbearable for his family.
00:11 It's not nice sitting next to the bed watching your grandson
00:14 take his last breath, all because of what a white man done.
00:17 The 16-year-old was on remand in Unit 18
00:21 at the maximum security Cajurina Prison
00:24 when guards found him unresponsive inside his cell
00:27 in the early hours of October 12.
00:29 He was taken to Sir Charles Gardner Hospital where he died Thursday.
00:33 The death and its high public interest
00:35 has prompted WA's corruption watchdog
00:37 to take the unusual step of publicly announcing its investigation.
00:41 It will focus on allegations of serious misconduct
00:44 by public officers stemming from the incident at Unit 18.
00:48 The announcement, a surprise to the Corrective Services Minister.
00:52 It's sort of normal practice for CCC to look into matters,
00:57 but they're not investigating this that I know of.
01:00 Last week, the Premier conceded that Unit 18
01:02 did not meet the state's standards for care and safety.
01:06 It's a necessary evil at the moment while we continue to go about
01:09 developing the plans for the new infrastructure
01:12 and reconfiguring the services and the model of care.
01:15 Now he's made a stronger stand.
01:17 I want to see Unit 18 shut down.
01:19 Advocates fear Cleveland's death will be detrimental
01:22 to the already mentally vulnerable children
01:24 that remain in WA's detention centres.
01:27 My concern is that they will sense hopelessness,
01:30 they'll grieve for the brother,
01:32 they'll grieve for their own personal story,
01:35 which is one of bleakness, and it'll be a ricochet effect,
01:39 a ricochet effect of hysteria, not just in Unit 18 but in Banksia.
01:44 Meanwhile, the family of Cleveland,
01:46 understood to be the very first young person
01:48 to die in a WA detention facility,
01:50 have urged the detainees to stay strong.
01:53 strong.
01:53 [BLANK_AUDIO]