WA youth detention in spotlight as detainees scale Banksia Hill roof
A group of about six youths scaled the roof of the Banksia Hill Detention Centre on Monday afternoon, throwing bricks, poles and fire extinguishers as authorities scrambled to bring them down.
The incident, which began at the Canning Vale building about 2.30pm, renewed opposition criticism over WA’s juvenile justice system, following the news last week that the controversial Unit 18 wing at Casuarina Prison would remain open for another three years while the government built a new $147 million replacement alongside Banksia Hill.
Youths on the roof of Banksia Hill on Monday afternoon.Credit: 9News Perth
“We needed a new youth rehabilitation centre yesterday,” opposition corrective services spokesman Adam Hort said in response to Monday’s incident.
“Detention is critical for community safety and turning young lives around, but it only works when the system works, and right now it doesn’t.
“Instead, the government has delayed this vital project for years. We are now seeing the same behaviours that caused the tens of millions of dollars in damage at Banksia Hill in 2022 and led to the creation of Unit 18.”
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Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia said the “violent and disruptive behaviour” at Banksia Hill was “unacceptable”.
“It shows the challenging task confronted by our youth custodial officers and reaffirms the need for a purpose-designed facility to house the state’s most high-risk youth, as announced by our government last week,” he said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
Prison officers in riot gear watched from the ground as the youths released fire extinguishers and damaged air-conditioning units at the detention centre, which caters to offenders aged 10 to 17 years old.
