Date: 10 April 2025
Source: Media Release Review People in Custody Requiring Crisis Care

A report released by the West Australian Inspector of Custodial Services, Eamon Ryan, has found that crisis care units are not meeting the needs of prisoners who are suffering acute mental health issues.

The review focused on the State’s seven crisis care units and found them to be under significant pressure to meet demand. The key causes were found to stem from outdated infrastructure, increased prisoner population, and more people in custody who are at risk of self-harm or suicide.

This has put additional pressure on mental health staff to discharge prisoners from crisis care units as soon as possible to free up beds.

Releasing the report’s findings, Mr Ryan urged immediate action to address the identified issues including:

• With the soaring adult prison population, which stands at just over 8,400, the extraordinary demands on mental health staff and crisis care infrastructure are only likely to increase rather than diminish.
• The report identified several prisoners who had spent a significant period in crisis care, which not only compounds capacity constraints, but also undermines prisoner..