Western Australian inmates receive weekly payments as courts cite overcrowding

In Western Australia, inmates who must sleep on mattresses placed on the floor are receiving a gratuity of up to $10.15 per one outlet, a payment traditionally tied to work or education programs but now used to offset harsh living conditions. The Department of Justice declined to specify when the practice began or which facilities are involved, noting the number of recipients fluctuates daily. Courts have begun factoring the “significant and inhumane” overcrowding into sentencing, with Justice Alain Musikanth reducing a 16-year term for an attempted murder case and a district court judge cutting a drug-related sentence for similar reasons.

Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan issued a show-cause notice over conditions at Hakea, Casuarina and Melaleuca prisons, linking the crisis to a 37% rise in the prison population and a surge in remand detainees. Acting Inspector Jane Higgens warned that financial compensation does not solve the underlying problem and called for more staff and infrastructure. Law Society WA and Social Reinvestment WA have urged the state government to fund additional staff, prison farms, bail alternatives, and community rehabilitation facilities to alleviate the pressure.