Juvenile detainees being held in a maximum-security adult prison in Western Australia allegedly broke out of their cells and assaulted a guard overnight.
The state government has faced widespread criticism for moving juveniles from the Banksia Hill juvenile detention centre, some as young as 14, to the adult jail at Casuarina.
Authorities recorded three suicide attempts by the juveniles and 13 self-harm incidents in July and August last year, after the juveniles were transferred due to what were described as “escalating” disruptions in Banksia Hill.
The state justice department alleged that two juvenile detainees assaulted an officer with a makeshift weapon and stole their keys on Saturday. The alleged assault occurred while the pair were “outside their cells for recreation”, the department said.
The pair then allegedly freed another 11 young detainees from their cells.
The group then climbed the rooftops of Casuarina’s unit 18, where they are being held, and two nearby buildings. They are alleged to have damaged infrastructure and thrown debris at staff. The department described it as a “major disturbance”.
“A security cordon was put in place and prisoners at Casuarina secured during the incident,” a spokesperson said.
“The detainees progressively surrendered to officers during the night, the last doing so at 2.15am.”
“Six officers were injured during the disturbance. Three buildings were damaged and one flooded from activating its fire extinguishing system.”
One female officer was hospitalised with minor injuries, according to reports.
The state premier Mark McGowan described the riot as “appalling” and said there would be consequences. He said one officer had suffered a broken foot.
“They injured six, seven guards and broke one of their feet and did a whole lot of damage,” McGowan said.
“It’s appalling conduct, it’s shocking. Now they’ll suffer the consequences, they’ll suffer the charges and so forth.”
Human rights lawyers and academics have strongly condemned the decision to transfer children into the adult prison.
Last year, Hannah McGlade – a Noongar woman, human rights lawyer, academic and member of the United Nations’ permanent forum on Indigenous issues – said the decision was a “national shame” that may not be consistent with Australia’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project director, Megan Krakouer, said last year that the incidence of self-harm among the juvenile detainees was “truly harrowing”.
“This should never have been an option,” she said. “The government needs to admit that it made a mistake and move them back to Banksia Hill.”
The juveniles at Casuarina are being kept in a separate unit from the general adult population.
