149: Inspection of Broome Regional Prison

Broome is the oldest operating prison in Western Australia. Three accommodation blocks and administrative buildings were commissioned in 1945, clustered around the ‘Bull Pen’, a secure shed built in 1895. Seven inspections of Broome by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) since 2001 have found it below standard. Broome manages remand and …

INTRODUCTION We first inspected Broome Regional Prison in 2001. With 80 per cent of the population Aboriginal, the sub-standard services and conditions would not have been acceptable in a metropolitan prison where Aboriginal people were in the minority. Our 2019 inspection found despite some improvements, infrastructure was still unsuitable, and services and supports for prisoners …

Despite a decade of uncertainty, the future of the new Broome Prison is still in doubt. Meanwhile, its Kimberley Aboriginal prisoner population has no access to education or therapeutic programs, and limited employment and recreation opportunities. Even structured cultural support has gone backwards. The new kitchen is welcome, providing a healthy and varied diet but …

Recommendation 1 Explore solutions to the causes of current under-staffing at Broome and plan for the staff needs of the new prison. Recommendation 2 Implement a thorough orientation process for new prisoners. Recommendation 3 Ensure adequate presence of Prison Support Services at Broome. Recommendation 4 Implement all Coroner’s Court suicide-related recommendations in full. Recommendation 5 …