PRISONS — HUNGER
STRIKES
231. Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN to the minister representing the
Minister for Corrective Services:
(1) Are any
prisoners in the custody of the Department of Justice currently conducting a hunger
strike?
(2) If so, for each prisoner can the
minister advise —
(a) their age and sex;
(b) the institution in which they are
being held;
(c) when their hunger strike
commenced and the reasons for it;
(d) whether their
strike been prompted by the authorities denying access to methadone or other
like treatment;
(e) what action has been taken and
medical or other treatment administered to them;
(f) their condition and prognosis;
and
(g) whether the
Inspector of Custodial Services been advised and when and what action has the
inspector taken.
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following answer has been provided by the
Minister for Corrective Services.
(1) Yes.
(2) (a) The prisoner is aged 52
years and male.
(b) The prisoner is being held in
Casuarina Prison.
(c) On 27
February 2020, the prisoner advised that he was unhappy with his medical
treatment and not being placed on the
methadone program and that he would commence a hunger strike in protest.
(d) Yes. The
department manages access to methadone as per the Community Program for Opioid
Pharmacotherapy guidelines and prison medical officers involved in this program
are certified by CPOP.
(e) The prisoner
is monitored by the department's custodial officers and prison health
staff. Health services staff are guided by written parameters for escalation of
care as per advice received by the Department of Health.
(f) The prisoner's condition
remains well and he is stable.
(g) No. There is no requirement to
report refusal to eat.