Overcrowded jail claims 'inaccurate'

The State Government has hit back at claims of chronic overcrowding at a jail near Derby, 2390km north of Perth.

The West Kimberley Regional Prison was said to be "overcrowded" by holding 62 more inmates than it was designed for.

WA Prison Officers' Union secretary John Welch earlier this month said the WKRP housed 212 prisoners when it was meant for only 150 prisoners, meaning it was more than 41 per cent overcrowded.

"The State Government has a 'tough on crime' agenda, which is its right, as long as it keeps building cells to accommodate the extra prisoners," he said.

"But what this Government is doing is trying to cram more and more prisoners into existing cells, which is leading to chronic overcrowding.

"When prisons are overcrowded, prisoners are more likely to become violent and that is putting prison officers at greater and greater risk."

But the Department of Corrective Services said the claims were inaccurate.

A DCS spokeswoman said that on April 14, there were 147 prisoners at WKRP, which has a total capacity of 158 beds.

"The union's figure of 212 prisoners refers to the total prisoner population for WKRP plus two separate sites (Wyndham Work Camp and Broome Regional Prison), which are administered by WKRP," the spokeswoman said.

The DCS said its estate optimisation plan was delivering additional capacity over the next 12 months, and beyond, to meet population projections.

This includes a 387-bed expansion at Acacia Prison, where the fill program has commenced, and the new 350-bed Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison, which will accommodate up to 50 women prisoners in a purpose-built unit.