❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Corrective Services on the slow progress of removing ligature points in custody cells, referencing the Royal Commission and a recent death. The Minister acknowledges the issue, citing infrastructure challenges and the impossibility of complete removal, while also noting an ongoing coronial inquiry.
AnsweredQoN 352Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORRECTIVE SERVICES —
CUSTODY CELLS — LIGATURE POINTS
352. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Corrective Services:
The 1991 Royal Commission into
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody made 339 recommendations, one of which was the
removal of ligature points in custody cells. It is 33 years since this
recommendation was made and yet only 27.4 per cent of cells at Acacia Prison
have been fully ligature minimised. I also refer to the Corruption and Crime
Commission report of 11 June about the death of a young detainee in unit 18 at
Casuarina Prison that found the young person died ''in a cell with a hanging
point because all the cells were defective''.
Why is the Corrective Services
division of the minister's department stalling on acting on
recommendations that would save lives?
CUSTODY CELLS — LIGATURE POINTS
352. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Corrective Services:
The 1991 Royal Commission into
Aboriginal Deaths in Custody made 339 recommendations, one of which was the
removal of ligature points in custody cells. It is 33 years since this
recommendation was made and yet only 27.4 per cent of cells at Acacia Prison
have been fully ligature minimised. I also refer to the Corruption and Crime
Commission report of 11 June about the death of a young detainee in unit 18 at
Casuarina Prison that found the young person died ''in a cell with a hanging
point because all the cells were defective''.
Why is the Corrective Services
division of the minister's department stalling on acting on
recommendations that would save lives?
AnswerView source ↗
With
respect to the second part of the member's question, he would know that
a coronial inquiry is on foot and that that
would obviously impede my capacity to respond to specific elements of the
tragedy involving Cleveland's death.
That aside, with respect to ligature
points and the royal commission's recommendations, it has been
acknowledged subsequent to the royal
commission's findings and recommendations, over many years, that it is
actually not possible to remove all
ligature points from prison cells. It is possible to minimise ligature points,
and that action is undertaken and continues as a constant task.
Essentially, there is a large challenge with the extent of aged and legacy infrastructure across the state. It is an ongoing
and big task to diminish and reduce ligature points, but it is not possible to remove all of them. It must be noted,
sadly, with respect to self-harm of this type, that at times people can damage cells and that creates a ligature point. It
is a constant challenge. We might remove or diminish the number of ligature points available in a cell, and then find that damage is done that creates
another one. It is a constant task.
respect to the second part of the member's question, he would know that
a coronial inquiry is on foot and that that
would obviously impede my capacity to respond to specific elements of the
tragedy involving Cleveland's death.
That aside, with respect to ligature
points and the royal commission's recommendations, it has been
acknowledged subsequent to the royal
commission's findings and recommendations, over many years, that it is
actually not possible to remove all
ligature points from prison cells. It is possible to minimise ligature points,
and that action is undertaken and continues as a constant task.
Essentially, there is a large challenge with the extent of aged and legacy infrastructure across the state. It is an ongoing
and big task to diminish and reduce ligature points, but it is not possible to remove all of them. It must be noted,
sadly, with respect to self-harm of this type, that at times people can damage cells and that creates a ligature point. It
is a constant challenge. We might remove or diminish the number of ligature points available in a cell, and then find that damage is done that creates
another one. It is a constant task.
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