Respect the Risk

Respect the Risk is a campaign to recognise and protect the rights of all WA Prison Officers working in the public and private sector prisons by advocating for a better recognition by the State Government of the serious risks faced by Western Australia’s Prison Officers.

WA's prisons are at breaking point.

WA’s prisons are chronically overcrowded with over 6,000 prisoners in prisons designed to hold little more than 4200.

WA’s Prison Officers are responsible for more and more prisoners and crowded conditions in WA’s prisons mean Prison Officers face violent and explosive situations at work. The capacity of the system has simply not kept pace with the growth in the prison population.

We need to make sure we retain the high quality staff we currently have and offer wages and conditions that attract the staff we need to keep our prisons safe.

WA’s prisons also face the threat of being sold off to foreign, private companies whose main interest is making a profit. We know that the failures of private providers have been written large in the history of WA with the Supreme Court escape and the tragic death of Aboriginal elder Mr Ward.

We don’t need more private companies making money from the misery of West Australians who have had to suffer crimes against them.