Staff 'in the dark' on prison's future

Broome Regional Prison will remain open while a Kimberley-wide study into projected inmate numbers and custodial services is carried out.

The Department of Corrective Services announcement comes in the wake of a scathing report which criticised prison bosses for leaving staff "in the dark" about its future, resulting in a "flat" and "directionless" facility.

The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services' 2014 review found prisoner services and support had been cut back to "extremely concerning levels" as it wound-down towards closure in December 2015.

Despite the scaling down, the report said the jail was the most expensive per capita in the State.

The town-centre facility on Hamersley Street is currently an annex of the West Kimberley Regional Prison in Derby.

DCS commissioner adult justice services Shayne Maines said the department "acknowledged the OICS report" and confirmed the Broome facility would remain open "while prison population projections for custodial services across the Kimberley were developed to determine their individual functions".

"The department is currently reviewing its strategic asset plan and will be working with the local community as well as the judiciary, police and other government agencies in developing custodial services in the Kimberley," he said.

Despite being managed by the same superintendent, Inspector Neil Morgan found the situation at Broome Regional Prison in stark contrast to WKRP.

The future of the jail in Broome was uncertain as far back as 2007 when it was decided to build a new prison in Derby.

Mr Morgan said that decision, allied to the fact the main courts remained in Broome, called for advance planning and proactive engagement, which "did not happen".

In response, the State Government announced Broome would transition to closure at the end of 2015.

"The years of uncertainty have been bad for the prison, its staff and other justice services in the region," he said.

"In mid-2014, the universal feedback from stakeholders was that the department had still not engaged about future plans for the prison and how justice services would continue to be delivered to the courts, and others in Broome."

Mr Morgan said the closure decision resulted in a severe downsizing in the prisoner population to mainly remand prisoners appearing in the Broome court and a small number of minimum-security prisoners required to keep the prison functioning.

"This resulted in a stripping back of services and supports to prisoners, in some areas to extremely concerning levels," he said.

"Staff have been hard hit in trying to anticipate where their futures lie."

Mr Morgan said it would have made sense for Broome to remain open, but its decline over recent years had been "depressing and damaging".

Kimberley MP Josie Farrer said she was disappointed the Corrective Services Minister had still not engaged with stakeholders in town regarding future plans for Broome prison.

Despite the prison in Broome being slammed, the OICS review found the West Kimberley Regional Prison was operating an innovative focused philosophy and achieving positive results.