A woman has died in custody at Bandyup women’s prison in Perth, Western Australia.
The 50-year-old woman was found dead in her cell on Monday afternoon. She is believed to have killed herself.
A spokeswoman from the Department of Corrective Services said a coronial investigation would be conducted into her death and her next of kin were being notified.
The woman, whose name has not yet been publicly released, was not Aboriginal. It is not yet known if she was a sentenced prisoner or if she was being held on remand.
Marc Newhouse, from the Bandyup Action Group and Death In Custody Watch WA, said the woman’s death was a tragedy and it was important to ascertain as soon as possible how and why she died. He said it was “shocking” that the department had not put out a formal statement in the 24 hours since the woman’s death.
The corrective services minister, Joe Francis, was criticised for failing to mention the woman’s death in parliament on Tuesday, with the opposition spokesman on corrective services, Paul Papalia, calling the omission “unacceptable”.
It’s the second death in custody in Western Australia in less than 12 months, but the first at Bandyup since 2002. Ms Dhu, a 22-year-old Yamitji woman, died in a police lockup in Port Hedland on 4 August 2014 after being returned from her second trip to the hospital. She had been complaining of stomach pains.
A public inquest into her death has not yet been put on the court lists, but the premier, Colin Barnett, has said it would be held mid-year. Her grandmother, Carol Roe, has requested the inquest be held before the 12-month anniversary of her grandmother’s death.
Newhouse told Guardian Australia in April it was “only a matter of time until we have a death in custody at Bandyup”. The prison, which is on the outskirts of Perth, has an official capacity of 321, which was raised from its design capacity of 183 when double bunks were put in most of the cells.
The inspector of custodial services, Neil Morgan, also raised concerns about overcrowding at Bandyup in a report in 2014, labelling it “the hardest and most neglected prison in the state”.
For help or support in Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
