• Staff assaults, particularly serious staff assaults, in Western Australian prisons are rare. Only 22 Serious staff assaults have occurred in the five years from 2008 – 2012.
  • Certain prisoner cohorts are overrepresented in staff assaults namely:
    • Prisoners with mental health concerns and intellectual disability (Read more)
    • Female prisoners (Read more)
    • Prisoners who are the least involved in work or education programs (Read more)
    • Prisoners held in more secure facilities than needed (Read more)
  • Overcrowding, in and of itself, is not directly linked to staff assaults in Western Australian prisons. (Read more)
  • The triggers in staff assault incidents are many and varied with incidents involving female offenders exhibiting less commonality than those incidents involving male prisoners. (Read more)
  • Targeted professional development is needed where incidents were unnecessarily escalated by the approach of the staff member involved. (Read more)
  • Department record keeping on staff assault has significant problems, including
    • Classifications being confusing and leading to errors
    • Poor quality assurance practices (Read more)
    • Poor quality reports espousing opinion or not being independent  (Read more)

 

Page last updated: September 4, 2014