Overview

• A July inspection by the WA Inspector of Custodial Services found Hakea operating well beyond capacity, with some cells designed for one holding three inmates
• Inspector Eamon Ryan reported prisoners are locked in their cells for 16 to 18 hours each day and denied visits, phone calls, clean clothes and daily showers
• Ryan has formally recommended that the government launch a full inquiry to address ongoing human rights breaches and systemic failures across the justice system
• The WA Justice Department says it is actively boosting medical and custodial staffing, has set up a dedicated Hakea task force and formed an adult prisoner population coordination working group
• As the state’s main remand and reception centre for adult males, Hakea holds about 80% unsentenced detainees, heightening concerns over rehabilitation outcomes and recidivism risks