Question On Notice No. 3201 asked in the Legislative Council on 15 September 2020 by Hon Martin Aldridge
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Corrective Services
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I
refer to the Meth Action Plan (MAP) and the allocation of $244.8 million for
the implementation of the MAP initiatives, and I ask:
(a) how much of the $244.8 million was allocated
to the Minister's portfolio agencies;
(b) how much of the allocation has been spent to date;
(c) what initiatives have been identified;
(d) what initiatives have been implemented to date; and
(e) what
rehabilitation facilities or services other than Wandoo Prison are in place for
prisoners?
Answered on 15 October 2020
(a) $15,710,000. *
(b) $10,815,000.
(c) The following initiatives have been identified within the Corrective Services portfolio **:
- Create two dedicated alcohol and other drug (AOD) rehabilitation prisons, one for men and one for women;
- Create a 10-person Prisoner Triage Unit to operate in those courts dealing with the greatest number of short sentence drug-related offenders; and
- Resource drug testing and detection at the AOD prisons.
(d) These initiatives have been implemented. The women’s facility (Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison) commenced in August 2018. The men’s facility (Mallee Rehabilitation Centre at Casuarina Prison) accepted its first participants in September 2020 with full program delivery to commence on 1 October 2020. The triage units for these facilities are based at the prisons (Wandoo and Casuarina) rather than the courts. Enhanced drug testing and detection measures are in place at both facilities.
(e) The following rehabilitation facilities or services (other than Wandoo Prison) are in place for prisoners:
- The Mallee Rehabilitation Centre, an AOD rehabilitation and recovery unit for male prisoners at Casuarina Prison, accepted its first participants in September 2020 with full program delivery to commence on 1 October 2020.
- All prisoners serving sentences of longer than six months are screened, and where required further assessed, for co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness.
- Prison health services offer treatment for drug withdrawal.
- AOD brief intervention, throughcare and maintenance services are provided to prisoners (including those on remand) by contracted non-government organisations.
- ‘Pathways’, a 100-hour cognitive behaviour based program, is available for medium to high risk prisoners with AOD treatment needs.
- A pilot Parole in-Reach Program involving the delivery of additional rehabilitation programs (including AOD) commenced operation at Acacia Prison and Wooroloo Prison Farm on 1 July 2020, and is due to commence in Roebourne Regional Prison on 1 October 2020.
These rehabilitation services are complemented by measures to reduce and remove the supply of illegal drugs and contraband into prisons, including the deployment of drug detection dogs, electronic drug trace detection, high volume prisoner drug testing and unannounced searches of vehicles and visitors entering prison.
*The $244.8m figured was calculated as at May 2019. In November 2019, additional funding of $20,194,000, over and above the $244.8m was allocated to the men’s AOD rehabilitation unit at Casuarina Prison.
**Descriptions based on the Methamphetamine Action Plan 2017 Election Commitment.