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WA currently puts kids as young as 10 in prison. On Saturday, 8th March, Western Australians will head to the polls to elect their next government. We must send a strong message to the next leaders of Western Australia that kids don't belong in prison cells.

WARNING FOR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER READERS, THIS PAGE CONTAINS THE NAME OF DECEASED PERSON/S

Content warning: Self-harm. 

Currently in WA, the majority of young people in prisons are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, contributing to one of the most disproportionate rates of incarceration anywhere in the country. The next government of WA must commit to finding alternatives to the justice system for young people and meet International Human Rights obligations.

The inquest into the death of Aboriginal teenager Cleveland Dodd in 2023 recommended that Unit 18, where youth are detained at the Casuarina maximum security adult prison be shut down ‘as a matter of urgency’. 

Cleveland Dodd was kept in tortuous solitary confinement for more than 22 hours a day, for more than 80% of the 93 days before he died.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called for the WA government to close Unit 18. Amnesty International Australia says WA Premier Roger Cook and Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia "ignored repeated warnings" that the children incarcerated at Unit 18 experience "intolerable levels of distress, putting their safety at risk".

Due to the torturous conditions in WA’s juvenile detention centres, there have been more than 500 incidents of young people who have been driven to end their life over the past two years. It’s clear that putting WA kids in prisons is deeply harmful. 

A 2021 WA Government report further concluded that youth detention centres, such as Banksia Hill and Unit 18 are not fit for purpose and fail to provide a rehabilitative service, meaning that 55.8% of the children who are released are just funnelled back into the system within 12 months.

First Nations Elders and community leaders have the solutions. They know what works, and what the young people in their area need in order to keep them out of prison and connected to Country and culture. Instead of locking them up, the Western Australian Government could divert children into diversionary programs and Indigenous-led early interventions, allowing for effective and culturally safe rehabilitation.

Amnesty International is calling on the next government of WA to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, ends its use of tortuous confinement practices, fund Indigenous-led diversion programs that address the root causes of trauma and disadvantage, and close Unit 18 and Banksia Hill youth detention centres immediately.

Sign our petition and tell the next leaders of WA that kids don’t belong in prison cells. 

 

Sign the Petition

  Our Petition
 
 

Roger Cook, Leader of the Western Australian Labor Party
Email: wa-government@dpc.wa.gov.au

Libby Mettam, Leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party
Email: libby.mettam@mp.wa.gov.au

To the next Government of Western Australia,

Right now, WA kids are already being locked up in prisons that are far too young. Young kids don’t belong in prison cells. 

Putting kids in prison leads to compounding trauma and disadvantage, it fractures families and communities and removes children from their culture.  

Putting kids in prisons does not change their behaviour or make our communities safer, instead it pushes them down a path that often leads to further incarceration. 

There is an overwhelming amount of medical and psychological evidence that shows us children’s brains are still developing, especially the parts that regulate judgement, decision-making and impulse control. This means that kids cannot foresee the consequences of any action and cannot fully understand the criminal nature of their behaviour. Whether sentenced or unsentenced, children can not navigate the full weight of their actions and do not belong in prison. 

It’s clear that WA prisons are not helping young people, and instead, harming them, especially Unit 18 of Casuarina maximum security adult prison, where young people are currently being held. 

I’m calling on you to end the use of tortuous practises, close Unit 18 and Banksia Hill youth detention centres immediately and reduce the number of children incarcerated and ensure their ongoing protection by raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, in line with international human rights standards.   

Currently in WA, the vast majority of all young people in prisons are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, contributing to one of the most disproportionate rates of incarceration anywhere in the country. 

It is critical for you to fund Indigenous-led diversion programs that address the root causes of trauma and disadvantage, and uphold the principles of self-determination. These programs will cost less than putting kids in prisons and keep our communities safer in the long run. 

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]