Question On Notice No. 6185 asked in the Legislative Assembly on 26 May 2020 by Mr D.T. Redman
Question Directed to the: Minister for Corrective Services
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Tabled Paper No: 3553-
View tabled paper
Question
I refer to claims by the WA prison officers union that WA prisoner numbers have hit a record high, and I ask:
(a) Can the Minister please list the monthly muster for the states prisons
since March 2017 for each facility against the prison capacity;
(b) Can the Minister list for each month since March 2017 the number of
prisoners serving a sentence and the number on remand for each facility;
(c) Of those prisoners currently on remand, how many have been held in
custody for greater than one year and for how many days has each of
these been held;
(d) For those prisoners who have currently been held in remand for over one
year, can the Minister provide details of why they are held on remand
without sentencing or trial;
(e) What ability do prisoners being held on remand have to access work,
education or rehabilitation programs, and is there any difference to
those who are sentenced; and
(f) Has the COVID-19 risk changed the capacity to provide the above mentioned programs?
Answered on 12 August 2020
(a) Table 1 - figures are as at 31 May 2020 [Please see tabled paper no. ]
(b) Table 1 - figures are as at 31 May 2020 [Please see tabled paper no. ]
(c) As at midnight, 1 June 2020, there were 230 adult prisoners on remand status, with a period held in custody exceeding one year (365 days). Table 2 provides individual prisoner remand days spent in custody [Please see tabled paper no. ]
(d) Remand prisoners who exceed 365 days in custody awaiting sentencing can be attributed to circumstances including but not limited to; seriousness of offence and the time spent pending court proceedings. Table 3 provides the top 20 prisoners, which includes days spent on remand, including most serious offence [Please see tabled paper no. ].
(e) Remandees across all prisons are eligible to access education, employment and transitional services depending on their length of stay and their individual circumstances.
There are employment options for all prisoners (remand and sentenced). Employment offered will depend on individual’s circumstances, skill levels and security considerations.
Remand prisoners are not referred for any criminogenic treatment programs as they have not been sentenced for any particular offending. Cognitive based programs and voluntary programs such as alcohol brief intervention and parenting programs are offered on a case by case basis.
Remandees held on remand longer than twelve months are eligible to enrol in traineeships if they are employed in a suitable prison industry.
(f) No. COVID 19 has not impacted on the above as education and programs are considered essential services, though some programs received minor modifications to the mode of delivery.
Some additional employment opportunities have become available in prisons through activities such as additional cleaning regimes, but external employment through Section 95 and the Prisoner Employment Program were ceased.