Hakea Prison: ongoing human rights concerns
A routine inspection of Hakea Prison in 2024 found that prisoners were being held in conditions that were cruel, inhuman, or degrading. These were not short-term issues, but entrenched and worsening problems, including excessive lockdowns, limited access to education and rehabilitation, restricted family contact, and basic failures such as lack of clean clothing and bedding. Due to the seriousness of these findings, the Inspector of Custodial Services issued a formal Show Cause Notice to the Department of Justice in May 2024 and later escalated the matter to the Minister. Despite this, conditions failed to improve and continued to deteriorate.
A follow-up inspection in 2025 confirmed that, while there had been minor improvements, overall conditions at Hakea remained unacceptable. Ongoing population pressure and staffing shortages continued to drive excessive lockdowns and prevent prisoners from accessing a normal daily routine. Measures taken to date, including recruitment efforts and targeted taskforces, have not been sufficient to stabilise the prison or address systemic failures.
System-wide risks and growing pressure
The issues identified at Hakea are no longer isolated. Similar pressures are now evident at Casuarina Prison and Melaleuca Women’s Prison, as record prisoner numbers and ongoing staff shortages place strain across the entire system. These pressures are contributing to unsafe staff-to-prisoner ratios, increased use of lockdowns, reduced access to meaningful activity and family contact, and rising levels of distress, self-harm, and use of force. Both staff and prisoners are experiencing declining morale, with staff reporting safety concerns and moral injury.
These conditions mirror the warning signs that preceded the 2018 Greenough Prison riot, where longstanding issues such as lockdowns, understaffing, and deteriorating relationships were identified but not addressed. The current trajectory—where staffing shortages lead to greater restrictions, increased tension, and further staff absences—creates a cycle that is not sustainable.
Need for urgent government action
The custodial system is now fragile and under significant strain, with limited capacity to respond to further pressures or major incidents. Without decisive government action, there is a growing risk of serious outcomes, including large-scale disturbances, harm to staff and prisoners, deaths in custody, and ongoing breaches of human rights obligations.
With most people in custody eventually returning to the community, the current system is increasingly unable to fulfil its role in rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. Addressing these systemic issues is critical not only for safety within prisons but for broader community safety and confidence.