‘Just five days ago, the National Network issued a press statement calling for the WA Government to urgently address the severe overcrowding and inhumane conditions in Western Australia’s prisons. We warned that without immediate action, there would be more deaths in custody. Today, we take no comfort in being proven right,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘A 35-year-old Noongar man, arrested for a breach of bail, has paid for it with his life. This tragic loss of life was preventable, and the National Network reiterate our demand for urgent government intervention to prevent yet another avoidable death,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The killing of Aboriginal people in custody cannot continue. Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody over three decades ago, more than 600 Indigenous people have died in custody, yet the WA Government has failed to implement all of the recommendations of the report,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Bail laws in their current form are punitive, restrictive, and often include conditions that are nearly impossible for many people to comply with. Rather than providing real support for people facing challenges, the system criminalises people and put them at higher risk, especially when they detain them within overcrowded and under-resourced prison systems’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘As a National Network we again call upon the WA government to use their extensive resources to begin a process of decarceration to reduce the chronic overcrowding issues in their prisons, to take immediate steps toward decarceration, such as community-based public housing for those on remand and expedited parole for eligible individuals. This will begin to reduce pressure on WA’s prisons without compromising anyone’s safety,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Our message to the WA Government is simple: Act now to stop another life from being taken. Allocate funding to specialised health facilities and change bail laws that are setting people up to fail. Start thinking outside the cage and consider community based solutions that do not involve incarcerating people. The lives of First Nations people are at stake, and it is your responsibility to ensure no more lives are taken,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased Noongar man and stand with them in demanding accountability and action from the WA Government. The system is culpable, and it must change now—before more lives are lost.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226