Western Australia has three minimum-security prison farms which form part of the Department of Justice’s (the Department) broader hierarchical custodial system. They are male-only facilities located in the south-west of the state:
- Karnet Prison Farm – situated 78 kilometres south of Perth
- Pardelup Prison Farm – situated 386 kilometres south-west of Perth, approximately 27
kilometres from Mount Barker - Wooroloo Prison Farm – located 55 kilometres north-east of Perth.
We have traditionally inspected each of the prison farms individually. However, we have often heard the farms described as ‘one farm, three sites’ and we have consistently found they have similar functions and comparable constraints. As such, this multi-site inspection sought to assess the prison farms conjointly.
Similar functions
The prison farms typically hold people in custody who are towards the end of their sentences and are preparing for their release back to the community. Such preparation should include mechanisms to address institutionalisation, build personal responsibility, and reconnect with family and community. The prison farms should also help people in custody reduce any learning and skills deficits through a wide variety of options like education (short courses, certificates, and higher education), employment, training, and industry-relevant work experience to maximise people’s post-release employment opportunities.
At the same time, Karnet, Pardelup, and Wooroloo are also working farms. They provide a vital link in the Department’s food supply chain. Many of the prisoners placed at the farms work in physically demanding roles to produce meat, dairy, eggs, fruit, and vegetables that are distributed for use throughout the prison system statewide. The farm operations are not a large focus of this report. However, we have sought to highlight the valuable rehabilitative and reintegrative opportunities the work provided, despite some of the significant constraints the farms faced.