A FORMER inmate says authorities have abandoned drug testing in Hakea Prison because drowsy prisoners are “the only thing that keeps the place from bursting”.
After spending 18 months in Hakea, Paul Kenney now has a full-time job and has vowed to never return to the “torture” behind bars, saying conditions are so dire some prisoners are picking up drug habits and being sent back into the community.
Mr Kenney was trained as a “peer support” visiting fellow inmates each morning to check on their welfare, but says there was little to no back up from the department.
Visits were often limited by lockdowns which could last several days, while the peer support officer would visit “once every six weeks”.
“I would put her [peer support officer] on the spot, and I’d ask for things to be done,” he said.
“You would just be dismissed by the super.
“You can’t get to see a mental health or PCS [prison counselling service] for 18 months; there was a letter issued in there,” Mr Kenney said.
“If you want to go see the doctor well that’s near on impossible and when you do see the doctor, they lose your tests, [and] they don’t have any good information.”
Mr Kenney claims many prisoners go untreated for physical and mental health conditions.
“Before anyone from PCS… will even see you, you’ve got to have made an attempt on your life or [get] a referral,” he said.
“They will put you down the back… [and] discourage you from ever talking about that [suicide attempt] again,”
Hakea prison is rife with drugs Mr Kenney says.
“There used to be a lot of testing, they sanctioned it and there was punishment; there isn’t anymore because it’s the only thing that keeps the place from bursting.
“What they are doing is effectively turning people out into the community 10 times worse; damaged, angry… with bad drug habits.”
Mr Kenney said he witnessed assaults that warranted first aid, but prison officers did not respond adequately.
“They don’t give a fuck… they’ll tell you that it’s too dangerous,” he said, though he believes it was more about a lack of training and inability to manage high tension situations.
“Back in the day that sort of shit went on and they were on to it – not anymore.”
During Mr Kenney’s time in Hakea, he attended behavioural change program Breathing Space, but says it did not get a lot of support.
“No care factor [from prison officers] at all went into the program” Mr Kenney said.
His comments follow WA Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan condemning conditions at Hakea as breaching basic human rights.
A recent coroner’s report also labelled supervision at Hakea as “grossly and manifestly inadequate”, which contributed to the death of an inmate who set fire to his cell.
Another compared the youth unit 18 of Casuarina prison to “19th century gaols”.
The Department of Justice says it is continually improving protocols to help implement Mr Ryan’s and the WA Coroners Court’s recommendations.
“The Department of Justice runs several programs to reduce recidivism by initiating employment opportunities, providing skills and training, and delivering wrap-around mental health support, including education around Family Domestic Violence,” a spokesperson said.
“This work is complemented by suicide prevention programs and risk minimisation strategies.
“The state government’s Long-Term Custodial Infrastructure Plan also aims to address the prison population.”
Human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade met with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention when it visited Perth earlier this month to raise concerns about the long term impact on the indigenous community of high child incarceration rates.
The WGAD complained in its report of being denied access to WA’s youth detention facilities.
“We have laws that breach our international human rights commitments, in particular the convention on the rights of a child,” Ms McGlade said.
She backed the WGAD in calling to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old, as it is currently one of the lowest in the world.
Ms McGlade said First Nations people are still being racially profiled by police, something she personally experienced when a young relative was targeted by police despite being in their school uniform and walking home.
Inequality faced by indigenous contribute to mass incarceration rates say Ms McGlade.
“We’re seeing racism even from our own government in refusal to address this situation.
“We should tackle these issues, not scapegoat the children and Aboriginal families who have borne the brunt of racism and dispossession through Australia’s colonial history.”
Ms McGlade believes crime rates would decrease if systemic issues were addressed, such as beefing up rehabilitation programs in prisons.
She also urged the Cook government to follow Victoria’s lead in implementing a treaty which would give Indigenous people a seat at the table.
“We have no independent Aboriginal voice to Parliament in Western Australia and that’s holding us back” Ms McGlade said.
If you or someone you know is struggling there is help available, phone Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
by CARLA LANE