Non-Custodial Staffing Shortage

Over a number of years, we have established there are significant, and in some places crisis-level pressures regarding staffing within Western Australian prisons. While custodial officer roles are often focused upon, we have also frequently highlighted these pressures within non-custodial business areas. Staffing pressures arise due to various reasons, including: short- and long-term vacancies, such …

Staffing models for non-custodial services are complex Departmental data indicated there were one in five positions vacant in the Health and Wellbeing division, while more than one in four Rehabilitation and Reintegration positions were unstaffed. Combining the number of vacant full time equivalent positions (FTE) with the additional required FTE equates to more than 500 …

The Department faces a critical and multifaceted challenge in adequately staffing non-custodial services. Persistent vacancies, unrealistic staffing targets, and staffing ratios that lack rigour have undermined efforts to meet service delivery benchmarks and uphold the principle of equivalence. These issues are compounded by systemic recruitment and retention barriers, including insufficient funding, unattractive employment conditions, and …

Recommendation 1 Determine a clear and evidence-based formula for calculating staffing requirements at each site. Track and assess these regularly based on changes to the prison population. Recommendation 2 Dedicate adequate infrastructure to the Health and Wellbeing, and Rehabilitation and Reintegration portfolios in each prison to allow consistent delivery of on-site services. Recommendation 3 Review …