Prisons boss says he was ‘scapegoat’ after teen died

[Pelican Press 0]

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Prisons boss says he was ‘scapegoat’ after teen *****

A former Western *********** prisons commissioner says he was made a scapegoat for the government’s failures after an Indigenous teenager fatally self-harmed in youth detention.

Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive inside a cell in the youth wing of a high-security ****** prison in the early hours of October 12, 2023.

The 16-year-old was taken to hospital in a critical condition and ***** a week later.

Former Corrective Services commissioner Michael Reynolds was replaced soon after Cleveland’s ******, having held the role since 2020.

He told a Perth inquest into Cleveland’s ****** he believed Premier Roger Cook had made the decision to stand him down.

“Frankly, I think I was a scapegoat … for the government’s failures,” he said on Tuesday.

“Youth custody was obviously in a bad state long before I became commissioner.

“The government lack of investment … was clear.

“I’d sought changes in funds and funding and none of that was forthcoming.”

Mr Reynolds agreed that while he was in the role he became aware and concerned about the unlawfulness of locking youth detainees in their cells for long periods.

“We weren’t in a position to completely unlock the facilities and have all of the young people out,” he said.

“We just didn’t have the staffing or resources to do that.”

The inquest has previously heard Cleveland was held in solitary confinement in Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison for more than 22 hours per day before his ******.

Mr Reynolds said corrections staff attempted to comply with state legislation concerning the operations of WA’s youth detention centres after two Supreme Court judgements found they hadn’t.

He also accepted the justice department had not complied with international obligations and minimum standards for the treatment of people in detention and prisons.

“We knew we were struggling with those conventions,” he said.

“I raised it to the director general. I raised my concerns with government.”

Mr Reynolds agreed that recruiting, staffing levels and training were issues across corrective services before and during his tenure.

He said there was an “incredibly strong focus” on the corrective services budget and this had restricted recruiting and staff overtime.

“I didn’t have the money and I didn’t have the support of government,” he said.

“My impression was (there was) no ******* in government to fund us.”

Unit 18 was established in July 2022 after riots and damage to cells at the Banksia Hill youth detention centre.

Mr Reynolds rejected criticism that Unit 18 was opened too hastily and without adequate planning.

“What’s not being considered is the state of Banksia Hill … and the real concerns that we were going to lose that facility,” he said.

“If we’ve been able to make the facility safer and get enough staff in, we wouldn’t have needed the second site in such an urgent manner.”

The inquest continues.

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