Aboriginal prisoner takes own life at Roebourne Regional Prison

Another Aboriginal prisoner has apparently taken his own life while in jail — the third Indigenous death in WA custody in the past six weeks. The 47-year-old man died in Roebourne Regional Prison this morning. Police notified his family around midday. He was discovered unconscious in his six-man dormitory by prison officers, according to the Department of Justice. “Efforts by prison medical staff and paramedics to revive him were unsuccessful,” a spokesperson said. “Local police have attended the prison. There does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. “The death will be subject to a Coroner’s Inquest, which follows every death in custody. The Department of Justice, Corrective Services will carry out a review of the incident. “Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassall has extended his condolences to the man’s family and is travelling to Roebourne today. Support will be offered to the family of the prisoner and other prisoners at the site. “In responding to this Indigenous death in custody, the Department will seek cultural advice from community Elders.” Today’s death comes just over two weeks after an Aboriginal teenager in privately-run Acacia Prison took his own life. He died in Midland Hospital on July 13. Stanley Inman Jr, 19, was a known suicide risk, according to his family. His sister, Jacinta Miller, told The West Australian that scars from recent cuts on his arms and chest should have been warning signs to the prison that he needed urgent help. “I had to sit there on the side of the bed (in Midland Hospital) and look at these signs,” Mrs Miller, 32, said. “They were signs. They were probably a week or two old and there is no excuse — there’s absolutely no excuse. Inman’s family said the week after the death they had been given no answers about what happened on July 11 inside the jail, which contractor Serco runs for the State Government. Inman had been in prison for five months for stealing offences. It was the first time he had been held in an adult prison. His death came a little over a month after a 40-year-old Aboriginal man died at Acacia. He was found collapsed. In June, 2019, there was another death by suicide at Acacia. Serco has said it was inappropriate to comment because a coronial inquest would be held into the deaths. It is understood this morning’s death was the first suicide in a Government-run prison in three years. It is believed the dead man was in jail after being convicted of sex assault. Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Zak Kirkup said the McGowan Government had a “systemic problem on its hands”. “The Premier needs to act immediately,” he said. “Ben Wyatt and Fran Logan have failed to protect Aboriginal people in prison. Ben Wyatt abolished the Department of Indigenous Affairs and Fran Logan oversees the operations of prisons on a day-to-day basis. “Labor promised to reduce Aboriginal incarceration rates, but they have soared by 7.25 per cent in the last three years. It was one of the key performance indicators Mr McGowan set himself in government and he has failed miserably. “Not only has Mr McGowan failed, he has also used the cover of the COVID-19 crisis to abolish his own KPI. Labor’s handling of this has been appalling.” Acting Corrective Services Minister Stephen Dawson said deaths in custody were “always highly complex matters”. “It is terrible to hear about this death in custody and I would like to offer my sympathies to the prisoner’s family and loved ones,” he told The West Australian. “It is inappropriate to comment on the circumstances surrounding a prisoner’s death as these matters are subject to a coronial inquest. “The department will exercise all due care supporting the prisoner’s family and the prisoners and staff at Roebourne Prison. “A death in custody is always a highly complex matter and I would urge caution and due regard about commenting on this matter by the Opposition.” The Department of Justice released statistics today which contextualise the recent deaths. The figures are not final because the exact causes of death are often still being investigated. Between July 1, 2017, and July 29, 2020, 42 people had died in custody. Of those, 13 were Aboriginal. Of the 30 deaths attributed to apparent natural causes, eight were Aboriginal. There were six suicides (three Aboriginal), two murders (one Aboriginal). The remaining four deaths included one that was “apparently unnatural” of “unknown” causes and three where the cause of death could not be determined as natural or unnatural. Of the six apparent suicides in jails recorded since July 2017, two were at Acacia, one was at Broome, two were at Hakea and one, today’s, at Roebourne.