The 17-year-old was found unresponsive in his cell at Banksia Hill youth detention centre, marking the second child to die in custody in Western Australia within a year. Authorities noted that he had been moved to general units after being considered low risk regarding mental health and self-harm. Despite being checked on multiple times, he was ultimately discovered at the 11th check-up after calling out innocuously before his demise.
Corrective services commissioner Brad Royce expressed satisfaction with the staff's response and the actions taken before the tragedy. He reviewed body camera footage and highlighted that the teenager's cries from the cell were deemed innocuous with no indication of harm. He stated, 'We must focus on creating systems that better support the youth instead of monitoring them with confined oversight.'
Minister Paul Papalia stated that the teenager had spent time in communal areas and had returned to his cell prior to the incident. He emphasized the unfortunate absence of CCTV in the cell, attributing the lack of surveillance to the classification of the teenager as not being at high risk of harm.
Premier Roger Cook admitted that a failure had occurred within the system, asserting, 'We must enhance our efforts not just for the safety of the staff but for the rehabilitation and care of the youth in our facilities. This is a critical focus for us moving forward.'
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