Western Australia Inspector raises about youth justice system
A warning this story contains content that some viewers may find distressing. It discusses self-harm and includes the image of a Indigenous person who has died. An inquest into Western Australia’s first recorded death in juvenile detention has heard evidence from the state's inspector of custodial services. Inspector Eamon Ryan has told the inquest of the concerns he's held for years about the way the system is run.
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00:00The evidence to the inquest from the current Inspector of Custodial Services, Eamon Ryan,
00:06wasn't really focused specifically on Cleveland, it was more about the bigger picture of how
00:11the department came to set up Unit 18, a youth detention facility within a maximum security
00:18adult prison, and also how they have made changes to the operations of that facility
00:23since Cleveland's death.
00:26He started by highlighting a show cause notice that he issued in late 2021, really one of
00:32the first times that he clearly articulated his concerns with how the department was handling
00:38youth justice.
00:39It was focused on a particular unit within Bankshire Hill, the main youth detention facility,
00:45where he said detainees were being subjected to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.
00:51There was some back and forth with the department and the government after that, and ultimately
00:55the inspector said he wasn't really happy with the government's response, which was
00:59to focus on safety and security of the facility and hardening that, rather than taking a more
01:05therapeutic approach to address why young people were acting out in certain ways.
01:11And that was really the theme of his evidence and what he's experienced over the last couple
01:15of years.
01:16So that was really his call for the government to take some more of those steps in that therapeutic
01:22direction to addressing some of the fundamental reasons behind the offending of these young
01:28people.
01:29Later on in the week, we're expecting to hear why the government has or hasn't done that.
01:33One of the big key witnesses for the end of the week is the now former Director-General
01:38of the Department of Justice, Adam Thomason.
01:41We're expected to start hearing his evidence tomorrow, and that's slated to continue right
01:46through until Friday.