A 16-year-old boy detained at Casuarina prison’s Unit 18 youth detention facility in Western Australia is in a critical condition after he was found unresponsive at the facility.
The 16-year-old, who is Indigenous, contacted officers via intercom, and within a matter of minutesofficers found him unresponsive, according to the state’s minister for corrective services, Paul Papalia.
The officers commenced resuscitation and were able to regain a pulse, Papalia said.
Unit 18 is a separate youth facility within the maximum-security Casuarina men’s prison, converted in July 2022 to hold juvenile detainees after riots at the Banksia Hill youth detention centre.
St John Ambulance said they were called to Casuarina prison’s Unit 18, and the boy was transported to Sir Charles Gairdner hospital under priority one condition.
“I understand [the officers] have conducted themselves exceptionally well in confronting, very confronting circumstances,” Papalia said.
The premier, Roger Cook, said staff commenced resuscitation immediately at 2am on Thursday before three medical teams arrived.
“This is an incredibly regrettable situation. It’s deeply distressing and deeply saddening,” Cook said.
The incident will still be subject to investigation and some family members have not yet been notified of the situation, Papalia said.
He added said: “I’m thinking about the boy and hopeful that his condition will improve. But also thinking about the staff involved in the situation.”
Papalia said the government had made Banksia Hill safer. “Banksia Hill is better … because the most challenging, complex … juvenile detainees are housed in Unit 18.”
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Support and counselling for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is available at 13YARN (13 92 76) or the Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905
