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Soon after air-conditioning was installed at one of Australia’s hottest prisons, the centre became healthier and safer, a new report has found.
After decades of campaigning by advocates and the Western Australian custodial inspector, air-conditioning was finally installed at Roebourne Regional Prison mid-last year.
A year after air-conditioning was placed in all accommodation areas, the impact has been “universally positive” from those incarcerated at Roebourne Regional Prison in WA and staff, improving welfare and general behaviour in the centre.
In its latest report on inspections of Roebourne Regional Prison, the WA Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) welcomed the introduction of air-conditioning in all accommodation areas as a “significant and long-awaited improvement”.
“Staff and prisoners told us it had made a real difference to prisoner wellbeing and their general behaviour within the prison,” Acting Inspector of Custodial Services Jane Higgins said.
“This improvement demonstrates the important role independent oversight can play in identifying issues, sustaining attention on them, and holding the Department accountable to take reasonable steps to address them.”
Roebourne prison is located in one of the hottest areas of Australia, and conditions at the centre were often “oppressive” during summer.
According to the OICS, temperatures in the cells of the prison averaged more than 32 degrees overnight, presenting a “significant threat” to the health of the people incarcerated there.
Even during winter, temperatures at Roebourne are still regularly in the mid-30s.
The introduction of climate control at the prison has made a significant difference to the welfare of those incarcerated there, the OICS found, and has also led to a safer environment in the prison.
“Prisoners were pleased with the cooler temperatures in cells, particularly while locked in cells overnight, and the positive impact on their ability to sleep,” the OICS report said.
“Staff noted that the demeanour of prisoners was generally much improved and they were easier to manage when they had slept well.”
“From our perspective, this was a long-awaited development and fundamentally provided more decent and humane living conditions for people in custody at Roebourne.”
Watchdogs around the country have continually warned of “stifling” and “extreme” heat in ageing and poorly ventilated prisons.
Other prisons in some of the hottest climates in the country still do not have air-conditioning, including the Alice Springs Correctional Centre and Loddon prison in Victoria.
Queensland has led the way with climate control, with more than 90 per cent of cells in the state’s prisons now having air-conditioning.
In Victoria it is only available in some accommodation units for “more vulnerable people”, while Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre only has air-conditioning in the Crisis Support Unit.
Soon after air-conditioning was installed at one of Australia’s hottest prisons, the centre became healthier and safer, a new report has found.
After decades of campaigning by advocates and the Western Australian custodial inspector, air-conditioning was finally installed at Roebourne Regional Prison mid-last year.
A year after air-conditioning was placed in all accommodation areas, the impact has been “universally positive” from those incarcerated at Roebourne Regional Prison in WA and staff, improving welfare and general behaviour in the centre.
In its latest report on inspections of Roebourne Regional Prison, the WA Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) welcomed the introduction of air-conditioning in all accommodation areas as a “significant and long-awaited improvement”.
“Staff and prisoners told us it had made a real difference to prisoner wellbeing and their general behaviour within the prison,” Acting Inspector of Custodial Services Jane Higgins said.
“This improvement demonstrates the important role independent oversight can play in identifying issues, sustaining attention on them, and holding the Department accountable to take reasonable steps to address them.”
Roebourne prison is located in one of the hottest areas of Australia, and conditions at the centre were often “oppressive” during summer.
According to the OICS, temperatures in the cells of the prison averaged more than 32 degrees overnight, presenting a “significant threat” to the health of the people incarcerated there.
Even during winter, temperatures at Roebourne are still regularly in the mid-30s.
The introduction of climate control at the prison has made a significant difference to the welfare of those incarcerated there, the OICS found, and has also led to a safer environment in the prison.
“Prisoners were pleased with the cooler temperatures in cells, particularly while locked in cells overnight, and the positive impact on their ability to sleep,” the OICS report said.
“Staff noted that the demeanour of prisoners was generally much improved and they were easier to manage when they had slept well.”
“From our perspective, this was a long-awaited development and fundamentally provided more decent and humane living conditions for people in custody at Roebourne.”
Watchdogs around the country have continually warned of “stifling” and “extreme” heat in ageing and poorly ventilated prisons.
Other prisons in some of the hottest climates in the country still do not have air-conditioning, including the Alice Springs Correctional Centre and Loddon prison in Victoria.
Queensland has led the way with climate control, with more than 90 per cent of cells in the state’s prisons now having air-conditioning.
In Victoria it is only available in some accommodation units for “more vulnerable people”, while Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre only has air-conditioning in the Crisis Support Unit.
