Western Australia’s first recorded death in youth detention was preventable and the notorious facility where he died should be closed as a matter of urgency, a coroner has found.<\/p>\n
WARNING: This story discusses incidents of self-harm and contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died.<\/p>\n
Cleveland Dodd was 16 years old when he fatally self-harmed inside his cell in Unit 18, and he died in hospital a week later.<\/p>\n
During the inquest, the facility, which was meant to be temporary, was compared to a war zone and described as inhumane, with staff shortages keeping young people locked in their cells for up to 24 hours a day at times.<\/p>\n
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Cleveland Dodd died a week after he self-harmed in his cell.\u00a0 (Supplied: Family)<\/p>\n
For around 80 per cent of Cleveland’s final three months in detention he was let out of his cell for less than two hours a day \u2014 the international definition of solitary confinement.<\/p>\n
Coroner Philip Urquhart said those numbers were “deeply disturbing to hear” and “reminiscent of 19th century jails”.<\/p>\n
If you or anyone you know needs help:Suicide Call Back Service<\/a> on 1300 659 467Lifeline<\/a> on 13 11 14Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN<\/a>\u00a0on 13 92 76Kids Helpline<\/a> on 1800 551 800Beyond Blue<\/a> on 1300 224 636Headspace<\/a> on 1800 650 890ReachOut<\/a> at au.reachout.com<\/a>MensLine Australia<\/a> on 1300 789 978<\/p>\n “It is difficult to comprehend the despair and despondency Cleveland would have felt living in these appalling conditions,” he said.<\/p>\n “It is unsurprising that Cleveland threatened to self-harm on the night of 11 and 12 October 2023 before taking the tragic action that he did in the early hours of 12 October.”<\/p>\n He said Cleveland\u2019s death “was not only predictable but had been predicted, and \u2026 the department [of justice] was aware of those predictions”.<\/p>\n Unit 18 closure recommended<\/p>\n One of the coroner’s most significant recommendations is to close Unit 18 “as a matter of urgency”, having described it as a place unfit to house some of the state’s most vulnerable young people.<\/p>\n The WA government has maintained it cannot close Unit 18 until a replacement facility is built and says conditions have improved since Cleveland’s death.<\/p>\n “The equipment provided to our personnel, the interventions, the external supports, the practices and policy are all significantly changed and improved since that time,” Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia said today.<\/p>\n People gathered outside the District Court in Perth ahead of the coroner’s findings. (ABC News: Cason Ho)<\/p>\n But Coroner Urquhart said despite improvements at Unit 18 since Cleveland’s death, it is still not fit for purpose to house detainees with severe neurocognitive disorders.<\/p>\n The government last month committed the funds for the new facility, which is not due to open for another three years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n