Third man in three months dies in Perth prison’s custody

Warning: this report contains the name and image of a deceased Indigenous man, with his family’s permission.

A man has died at Hakea Prison in Perth’s south-east, becoming the third inmate to die while in the maximum security facility’s care in less than three months.

The 28-year-old was found unconscious in his cell at the Canning Vale prison on Thursday afternoon.

The man died in custody at Hakea Prison on Thursday.Credit: Fairfax

A Department of Justice spokesperson said staff had provided first aid until paramedics arrived, but could not revive the man.

A report will be prepared for the coroner, but the death has been deemed not suspicious. This terminology, used in this context, is generally understood to relate to a self-harm incident.

Just six weeks ago, in March, a 27-year-old died following a fire in his cell at Hakea.

Staff found him unconscious by prison staff and he was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital, but later succumbed to his injuries.

In February, a 51-year-old man died in hospital shortly after suffering what is understood to have been a medical episode in his cell at Hakea.

These three deaths followed that of father of three Wayne Ugle, 41, in November.

Ugle was not convicted of a crime, but suffered a medical episode in November while on remand for minor charges. He died in his cell after requesting medical attention.

WA Prison Officers’ Union State Secretary Andy Smith branded the death another tragic reminder of the impact of understaffing prisons.

“We have warned the Department of Justice repeatedly that operating with too few staff increases lockdowns and prisoner frustration, while reducing prison officers’ ability to provide adequate supervision and to observe warning behaviours so that they can take action before it is too late,” he said.

“The understaffing crisis in our prisons cannot be allowed to go on any longer, and we again urge the Department and WA Government to take action.”

Youth detention expert Gerry Georgatos said he had long been alarmed at the sky-high death toll among young people in custody and called on the government to overhaul the system, including by introducing Medicare into prisons.

“Since the report [the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody in 1991], there have been hundreds of First Nations deaths in prisons, with the most significant proportion in Western Australian prisons,” he said.

“There have been more than 2000 deaths of non-First Nations prisoners. They are both at diabolic rates.

“There is nothing restorative or therapeutic about Western Australia’s prisons and there is nothing in our prisons to inspire the redeemer that is in all of us.”

Hakea Prison houses men who have been remanded in custody and are waiting to appear in court, as well as convicted prisoners.

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