Second Indigenous death in custody at WA prison within past two months

A coronial inquest has been launched into the 19-year-old's death at Acacia Prison.

Acacia Prison in Wooroloo is a private facility run by Serco Australia.

Acacia Prison in Wooroloo is a private facility run by Serco Australia. Source: WA Police

A 19-year-old Aboriginal man has died after an incident at Acacia Prison in Western Australia, a little more than a month after another prisoner died at the same facility. 

The man was found unresponsive in his cell at the Wooroloo jail, about an hour east of Perth, on Saturday.

“Attempts were made to revive the prisoner before he was transferred by ambulance to hospital. He sadly passed away (Monday 13 July) in hospital,” the spokesperson said. 

A spokesperson for the young man's family said the 19-year-old Noongar man was the youngest child in a large family. 

“He’s a young man, this was his first stint in an adult prison. He should have been supported, face-to-face mental health support,” the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project’s Megan Krakouer told SBS News.

Ms Krakouer says the man, who has not been named publicly at his family’s request, had served seven months of his sentence, and was due to be released in February next year.

“A young boy goes into prison, they’re expecting him to come out of prison. He should have been cared for appropriately, the family believes that did not occur.” 

Acacia Prison is owned by the Department of Justice which outsources management of the prison to Serco. 

A coronial inquest into the death will be held to examine the circumstances of the death, and SBS News understands that WA Police are now investigating on behalf of the coroner. 
Supporters hold a banner protesting about Black Deaths in Custody at a rally in Sydney on July 5, 2020
The campaign against black deaths in custody in Australia has received more attention since the death of George Floyd in the US. Source: AAP
WA Police have been contacted for comment. 

A spokesperson from the WA Department of Justice says its Professional Standards Division will also conduct a separate review of the circumstances of the man's death. 

It is the second death in custody of an Aboriginal detainee at Acacia prison in the past two months. 

On 5 June 2020, a 40-year-old Aboriginal male prisoner was found collapsed at the prison, and he was pronounced dead at hospital.

Tens of thousands of Australians protested against black deaths in custody in Australia last month in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in the United States. 


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Published 14 July 2020 4:13pm
Updated 14 July 2020 5:03pm
By Aaron Fernandes



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