Scathing report finds Kimberley prisoners sleeping on floor, in cockroach-infested cells
The report found cockroaches and other pests were present in overcrowded cells. (Supplied: OICS)
In short:
The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services has released a damning report into a prison in WA's far north, saying it is unfit for purpose.
The 2025 inspection of the Broome regional prison cites cockroach infestations, unhygienic conditions and women forced to share units with men.
What's next?
The Department of Justice says it remains committed to improving conditions at the facility.
When Western Australia's prison watchdog first inspected a prison in the state's far north in 2001, it warned conditions were "unhygienic", "grossly overcrowded" and "well below national standards".
More than two decades later, a litany of concerns remains.
A damning report by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services released on Wednesday has dubbed Broome Regional Prison "unfit for purpose" and "entirely unsuitable".
It found men, held on remand in the maximum-security section, were sleeping on mattresses on the floor, in degraded and unhygienic conditions with "cockroach infestations".
The report found cells in the maximum-security unit were "dark, crowded and untidy". (Supplied: OICS)
At the time of the inspection, women in the prison had to share their unit with men because of overcrowding.
"This does not meet any of the minimum standards universally expected for prisons," the report said.
'Beyond its use-by date'
Inspector of custodial services Eamon Ryan said in the lead-up to Christmas last year, the prison had close to 100 people despite only have a capacity for 66.
Mr Ryan said the prison had no programs, no education and limited re-entry support and health services.
Eamon Ryan says conditions are unacceptable at Broome Regional Prison. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
"I understand people have little sympathy for people who end up in jail or incarcerated …but if you don't rehabilitate people who are going to jail then the cycle is just going to continue,"Mr Ryan said.
"I'm not naive to think that every person that ends up in jail can be rehabilitated, there needs to be a level of want and desire.
"But if the system doesn't offer you any meaningful rehabilitation, then it's going to be just rinse and repeat."
The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) has been calling for upgrades to the facility since 2001.
Over the past two decades there have been numerous state government promises about potential upgrades, notably in 2012 with the announcement the prison would be closed.
This decision was reversed in 2015.
In 2019, there was $1.4 million allocated in the budget for a new facility to replace the existing one in town.
But complications arose over its location and a site has yet to be allocated.
"Here we are in January 2026 and there's no real concrete progress and a site hasn't been identified or agreed on, there is no funding allocated and no construction," Mr Ryan said.
The report noted four women were sharing a two-person cell due to an increase in male prisoners. (Supplied: OICS)
Mr Ryan said it was a "horrible state of affairs" that women were sharing units with men.
"That's one of the basic tenets of corrective service, all the agreed intentional services, is that men and women don't share … the same unit," he said.
State government responds
OICS put forward 13 recommendations in their report, including prioritising the replacement of Broome prison with a fit-for-purpose, appropriately resourced facility.
Other recommendations included: prioritising urgent infrastructure repair, increasing GP resourcing, expanding the Aboriginal Services Committee and increasing security staffing levels.
The inspection found deteriorating physical conditions throughout the prison. (Supplied: OICS)
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said four of the six recommendations it supported were already in place, supported another five recommendations in principle and noted one other.
Only one recommendation was not supported, which stipulated the resourcing of an on-site mental health service and in-reach clinical support to meet growing demand.
In a statement, the DOJ said it remained committed to improving conditions and was working on initiatives to enhance safety and security.
The DOJ statement said community relations had improved through the creation of an Aboriginal services committee.
It is estimated about 95 per cent of inmates in Broome are First Nations people from the Kimberley.
Acting department director-general Joanne Stampalia said focus remained on facilitating better rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes for prisoners.
"Engagement with local community organisations is one of our key priorities in our efforts to increase opportunities and cultural support for First Nations people in custody," she said.