Background

On 14 December 2017 Amnesty International Australia wrote to Western Australia’s Minister for Corrective Services alleging that a young person had been ill-treated at Banksia Hill Detention Centre. On 12 January 2018, Amnesty again wrote to the Minister alleging that another young person had also been ill-treated at Banksia Hill. The allegations related to a …

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Conclusion

Amnesty International Australia’s allegations involve a number of specific claims about each young person and a general claim that they were both held in conditions of prolonged solitary confinement, in breach of state legislation and international law. The evidence does not support the majority of these allegations. But, we have identified areas for improved record …

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Key Findings

We have use the pseudonyms ‘John’ and ‘Richard’ when referring to the young people these allegations relate to. Self-harm John had a serious history of self-harm before May 2017, but the evidence does not support claims of 100 attempts at self-harm since that time. The evidence does not support claims that John’s mother was not notified about a large number …

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Recommendations

Recommendation 1: Ensure that allegations of misconduct, abuse or poor treatment are prioritised for internal assessment and investigation. Recommendation 2: Amend Departmental policies to: require caregivers to be notified whenever a young person has: self-harmed attempted self-harm threatened self-harm ensure notifications are recorded on the young person’s departmental notes. Recommendation 3: Ensure that all uses …

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