Hon Peter Collier questions the Minister for Corrective Services regarding discrepancies in prisoner population figures between May and June 2024. The Minister clarifies the figures and explains the reasons for the differences.

AnsweredQoN 1522Legislative Council
Asked
26 November 2024
Portfolio
Corrective Services

QuestionView source ↗

CUSTODIAL SERVICES —
PRISONER NUMBERS
1522. Hon PETER COLLIER to the minister representing the
Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer the minister to the 2023–24
annual report of the Inspector of Custodial Services, which indicates that
there were 7 792 prisoners in Western Australia on 30 June 2024, and to his
response to a question prior to the estimates hearings that indicated that
there were 7 576 prisoners on 31 May 2024.
(1) Will the
minister confirm that there was an increase of 216 prisoners from 7 576 on 31 May
to 7 792 on 30 June?
(2) If no to (1), what was the
increase, and why does it differ from the two figures provided?

AnswerView source ↗

I
thank the Leader of the Opposition for some notice of the question. The
Department of Justice advises the following.
(1) This is not correct.
(2) The total
adult prisoner population as at midnight on 31 May 2024 was 7 660, and as at
midnight on 30 June 2024 was 7 814. That is an increase of 154 adult prisoners.
The reasons for the differences are that the 7 576 prison population for 31 May
2024 does not include those who were placed to prison work camps at the time
the query was made; and the 7 792 figure for 30 June 2024 was taken by Office
of the Inspector of Custodial Services from the daily situation report, which
provided the total adult prisoner population, including work camps, as at 29 June
2024.

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