Leading advocates say it is only a matter of time before someone dies inside Western Australia’s hottest jail, as the state government continues to rule out installing air conditioning.
Key points:
- Advocates fear a death in custody is likely if air conditioning is not installed in cells at Roebourne Prison
- Former inmate feared he was going to die as temperatures soared to over 50C last year
- Government says current climate control measures are adequate
Temperatures at Roebourne Regional Prison in the state’s Pilbara region soared to more than 50 degrees Celsius last summer, but inmates at the majority Aboriginal jail have no air conditioning in their cells.
Daniel Carling served multiple sentences at the prison between 2009 and 2020 on breaking and entering convictions.
The Yamaji man said the cells were so hot during summer he feared for his life.
“I thought I was going to die,” Mr Carling said.
“I grew up in Roebourne so I was used to the heat, but being in that jail is worse.”
The 42-year-old said prisoners tried to keep cool by flooding their cells with water.
“Filled a sink up and just chuck it all over us … you’ve got little basins in the cell and at night-time, that’s what most of us boys were doing,” he said.
Ice machines were installed at Roebourne Regional Prison to manage the heat risk.(Supplied: Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services)
He said the extreme temperatures had a particularly hard effect on older prisoners.
“You just look at them and you can see that they are dehydrated and their mental state’s not coping,” he said.
“We just made sure we give them water and that and just keep an eye on them … go check up on them every few hours.”
Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer Alice Barter said her clients had told her they felt like their bodies were cooking.
“I’ve been told by men at Roebourne prison that they feel their brains are boiling,” Ms Barter said.
“That they’re not sleeping at night and finding it difficult to function during the day.”
She said conditions were also impacting the health of people at the facility.
“Many of the older men have chronic health conditions … we all know the effect that extreme heat can have on the body,” she said.
The prison is one of the few major corrective services facilities based in a majority-Indigenous community in WA.(ABC News: Susan Standen)
Inspector fears history repeating
Richard Harding was Western Australia’s first inspector of custodial services, and said he flagged climate control as a problem at Roebourne 20 years ago.
Professor Harding said he feared a similar response to his landmark 2001 report highlighting the dangers of WA’s prisoner transport system.
He said it was largely ignored until Goldfields elder Mr Ward died after suffering heat stroke in the back of a prison van seven years later.
“This was rejected by the department on the cost basis, until such time that Mr Ward died in 2008 in the back of a transport from Leonora to Kalgoorlie,” Professor Harding said.
“At which point, suddenly, the money was available to start trying to fix the problem.”
He feared a death at Roebourne was the only thing that would prompt the government to change the conditions in cells.
It has been recommended that air conditioning be installed in all cells at Roebourne Regional Prison.(Supplied: Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services)
“Now, I hope that nobody dies in the summer in a Roebourne prison cell that is stifling, but if they do, the department might take the issue seriously,” he said.
The lack of climate control at the prison has been the subject of repeated warnings from WA’s prisons watchdog.
Incumbent custodial services inspector Eamon Ryan flagged the lack of climate control as a “grave” concern in a March 2020 report.
He concluded prisoners were still at risk from heat in their accommodation and recommended the government implement effective climate control in all residential units at the prison.
His recommendation is yet to be followed, despite record-breaking temperatures earlier this year.
Australian Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay told Senate Estimates earlier this year cooling at the prison was the subject of multiple recommendations.
Bill Johnston says heat mitigation measures in place at the prison are adequate.(ABC News: Abby Richards)
Minister says current measures ‘effective’
In a statement, Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston said the government had received a report on the costs of installing air conditioning in every cell.
But he declined to say what further action would be taken and said measures currently in place were “effective”.
“At Roebourne Prison, this includes fans in every cell, air conditioning in the recreation hall, prisoner visits and female activities area, and shade structures in the main area of the prison,” he said.
“There are a number of air-conditioned cells available for prisoners with medical conditions, and for prisoners who undertake full-day outdoor physical activities.”
Mr Johnston said medical staff were on duty to monitor the prisoners’ health and safety.
WA Greens MLC Brad Pettit said the minister’s response was callous.
“I think the government knows it’s response is inadequate … they know that every report says it as well, but basically there is no political mileage for getting on and doing what needs to be done,” he said.
“Everyone who actually is concerned about human rights, prisoners or not, would look at this and go this is deeply unsatisfactory and is lacking in any kind of compassion, or actually good and proper governance.”
Mr Carling said many current and former prisoners had lost hope the government would fix the problem.
“That’s the way it is … they just keep their head down … do their jail and that’s it.”
