148: Inspection of Banksia Hill Detention Centre and Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison (Part One)

Banksia Hill Detention Centre is a maximum-security facility that holds sentenced and unsentenced boys and girls from all regions of Western Australia. Unsentenced young people there can range from 10 to 17 years of age. Any young person sentenced before they turn 18 can stay there until they reach their earliest release date unless a …

Young people in crisis The experience for young people in custody has deteriorated since our last full inspection of Banksia Hill in 2020. This is despite the opening of Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison as a circuit-breaker initiative. Ongoing lockdowns and decreased time out of cell has increased the ‘temperature’ within both facilities, leading to …

Youth custody in Western Australia is in acute crisis, and there is no immediate solution. While the uncertainty that has surrounded Banksia Hill for many years looks certain to continue for the foreseeable future, we encourage the Department of Justice to remain future focussed and take the necessary steps to ensure – as a minimum …

Recommendation 1 Commit to the design and construction of a second youth custodial facility that meets the complex needs of different cohorts of young people. Recommendation 2 Empower staff to use all of the behaviour management tools that are available to them under relevant policy and legislation. Recommendation 3 Re-implement detention centre charges and set …