The Department launched its new prisons drug strategy 2018-2020 this financial year. The strategy is based on the Western Australian Auditor General’s 2017 Report ‘Minimising Drugs and Alcohol in Prisons’ and aims to target supply, reduce demand and reduce harm.
Director General Dr Adam Tomison said the high correlation between drug use and crime was a significant issue confronting the State’s criminal justice system. "A particular challenge we face as a Department is responding effectively to drugs – both licit and illicit - in our prisons," Dr Tomison said.
We are committed to ensuring our prisons remain drug-free and will ensure prisoners, staff and visitors who use or traffick drugs are held accountable.
"This new strategy demonstrates the strong actions the Department is taking to prevent drugs coming into prisons while we work to minimise the negative impacts of drug use and improve prisoners’ rehabilitation outcomes." Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassall said the goal of the strategy was safer and healthier prison environments and ultimately safer communities. "The Department is strengthening measures to combat the supply of drugs into prisons,” the Commissioner said.
The strategy includes initiatives such as a review of the drug prevalence testing program, the introduction of a waste-water drug monitoring program, improving staff drug and alcohol testing and the use of intelligence, a review of the penalties and sanctions for tracking drugs to ensure they are a sufficient deterrent, increasing the number of drug detection dogs and improved drug education, programs and transitional support.
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