An Aboriginal teenager has died in a Perth hospital a week after being found unresponsive inside a maximum security prison that is holding more than a dozen young detainees.
Last Thursday Cleveland Dodd, 16, was found unresponsive in his cell at a youth detention unit within the Casuarina prison by staff in the early hours of the morning.
Guardian Australia understands that the incident was suspected to have been an act of self-harm and staff had rendered emergency first aid until paramedics arrived and the teenager was taken to hospital.
In a statement, the Western Australian Department of Justice said Dodd died at the Sir Charles Gairdner hospital shortly after 10pm on Thursday, surrounded by family.
“The Department of Justice wishes to express deepest sympathies to the boy’s family, friends and community for their tragic loss,” it said.
The government has faced harsh criticism over conditions in the state’s only youth detention centre – Banksia Hill – amid ongoing reports of self-harm, suicide attempts and the destruction of cells.
In July last year, 17 children were transferred to a special wing of the maximum security Casuarina men’s prison.
In its statement, the Department of Justice said it helped Dodd’s family, who are from regional WA, to provide comfort during the last weeks of his life and it would continue to provide support after his death.
“The department has aided family from regional WA to spend time with their loved one at the hospital,” it said.
The department said it was continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the boy’s death and that there would be a mandatory inquest.
Detainees and staff at Casuarina prison’s Unit 18 and the Banksia Hill detention centre would be provided counselling and support services during this difficult time.
The federal minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said Dodd’s death was a “terrible tragedy”.
“My heart goes out to the family and friends of the young boy. We can and we must do better by our young people.”
She said it was her understanding that the WA Corruption and Crime Commission is investigating his death.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also offered his condolences to the family.
It comes as the state government faces a class action over its alleged mistreatment of young detainees, with lawyers and advocates repeatedly raising concerns over prolonged lockdowns, solitary confinement and children in distress self-harming and attempting suicide.
In July, the state’s supreme court ruled that the government repeatedly broke the law by holding three young detainees for prolonged lockdowns at the Banksia Hill detention centre and Unit 18.
The state government has been contacted for response.
Dodd’s family later released a statement through its lawyers, saying they wanted answers and immediate action from the government.
“Our family is overwhelmed with grief as we come to terms with the unthinkable – the loss of our most beloved boy, who did not belong in that horrible place known as Unit 18,” the family said.
“Our boy should have had been at home with his family who he loved and who loved him dearly. Our boy deserved a future.”
The family, who gave permission for Dodd to be named and his photograph to be used, said it did not believe a coronial inquest would achieve an outcome.
“A coronial inquest into his death will take far too long to bring meaningful change, policy and law reform,” they said.
“We, his family and community, will not wait patiently in the wings, while legal processes run their course. We will not rest until justice for our boy, and for all other First Nation’s children, is secured.”
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
