A 52-year-old man in custody at Acacia Prison has died in late January.
The man was found unwell during a welfare check and was taken to the medical centre at the prison, but his condition deteriorated, authorities said.
St John WA paramedics were called and attended but the man died at the prison.
There have not been any reported suspicious circumstances and the Coroner will now investigate.
Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison a ‘Success Story’
The state’s prison inspector has hailed Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison, Western Australia’s only dedicated alcohol and other drug rehabilitation prison, as a “success story”.
The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) tabled an inspection report on the facility in late January, finding that it is one of Western Australia’s “best examples of therapeutic and trauma-informed rehabilitation in custody”.
“Wandoo is an example of what can be achieved through therapeutic and trauma-informed rehabilitation services and care,” OICS Deputy Inspector Jane Higgins said.
“Residents feel safe and supported in the therapeutic and trauma-informed rehabilitation services and care. Residents feel safe and supported in the therapeutic partnership to heal previous trauma and break the cycle of substance use and offending.”
Wandoo was repurposed as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation prison in mid-2018, and is run in partnership by the Department of Justice and Cyrenian House.
“An individual’s “good character” will no longer be considered by a judge as part of sentencing under Australian-first proposed reforms from the NSW government.”
In response to recommendations from a NSW Sentencing Council review in early February, the state government said it would remove “good character” from being considered at sentencing hearings as a mitigating factor, for all crimes.
Judges will still be able to consider an individual’s rehabilitation prospects, likelihood of reoffending and lack of previous convictions.
The Sentencing Council review said that “good character” was “based on a vague and uncertain concept, lacks evidence in support of its value in predicting a risk of reoffending or prospects of rehabilitation, and engages an unjustified form of moral and social accounting”.
Two of the Council’s members disagreed with this opinion.
Under character law in NSW, those convicted of child sex offences cannot rely on good character in sentencing if the courts finds that this was a factor in them committing the offence.
People on remand will make up half of the overall NSW prison population if current trends continue.
Data released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) showed that the NSW prison population has increased by more than 8% in the last two years, driven mainly by a sharp increase in remand numbers.
More than 45% of the 13,000 people in prison in the state were on remand as of December 2025, the highest proportion ever recorded.
The number of people on remand in NSW has increased by more than 20% in the last two years.
The data also shows that First Nations people now make up more than a third of the overall prison population, also the highest proportion recorded by BOCSAR.
The incarceration rate for First Nations adults in NSW is now 15 times higher than non-First Nations people.
“These record numbers show that we are still not seeing the reductions needed to address Aboriginal overrepresentation in custody or to meet Closing the Gap targets,” BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said.
“This remains one of the most persistent and pressing challenges facing the criminal justice system.”
The number of people in youth detention in NSW has increased by nearly 30% in the last two years, and three-quarters of these children are on remand.
Educational resources provided by cool.org are now available in a number of Victorian prisons.
Corrections Victoria has partnered with cool.org, a charity aiming to provide new ways to make education more accessible.
The resources became available at Tarrengower Prison, Kareenga, Western Plains Correctional Centre and the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre at the end of last year.
The Victorian government is spending more than $7000 per day to keep a young person in prison, by far the most of any state or territory in the country.
According to figures released by the Productivity Commission, Victoria spent $7304 per day in 2024-25 to keep a young person in youth detention, more than double the national average of $3635.
There was an average of 74 children in detention in Victoria in the last year, up from 54 in the year before.
Across Australia there was an average of 734 young people in detention each day, up from 711 the previous year.
Australian states and territories spent a total of $1.1 billion in 2024-25 on youth justice.
Spending more than $7000 to hold a young person in prison per day – by far the most of any state.
Body scans are being increasingly relied upon to prevent contraband being taken into Canberra’s only prison, but prison officers may not have the expertise required to use these devices, a court has heard.
A coronial inquest is underway into the death of 34-year-old Aubrey Agostino at Alexander Manonchie Centre in the ACT in August 2024, just days after he entered the prison.
The inquest heard that Agostino may have concealed contraband upon entry to the prison that was missed on a body scan.
An expert witness told the court that there were “suspect appearances” in the scans that may have not been detected by the officers.
The court heard that prison officers may be ill-equipped to properly read the X-ray scans and detect contraband.
X-ray body scans were responsible for 60 percent of the 281 contraband seizures recorded in 2024-25.
A 52-year-old man in custody at Acacia Prison has died in late January.
The man was found unwell during a welfare check and was taken to the medical centre at the prison, but his condition deteriorated, authorities said.
St John WA paramedics were called and attended but the man died at the prison.
There have not been any reported suspicious circumstances and the Coroner will now investigate.
Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison a ‘Success Story’
The state’s prison inspector has hailed Wandoo Rehabilitation Prison, Western Australia’s only dedicated alcohol and other drug rehabilitation prison, as a “success story”.
The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services (OICS) tabled an inspection report on the facility in late January, finding that it is one of Western Australia’s “best examples of therapeutic and trauma-informed rehabilitation in custody”.
“Wandoo is an example of what can be achieved through therapeutic and trauma-informed rehabilitation services and care,” OICS Deputy Inspector Jane Higgins said.
“Residents feel safe and supported in the therapeutic and trauma-informed rehabilitation services and care. Residents feel safe and supported in the therapeutic partnership to heal previous trauma and break the cycle of substance use and offending.”
Wandoo was repurposed as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation prison in mid-2018, and is run in partnership by the Department of Justice and Cyrenian House.
“An individual’s “good character” will no longer be considered by a judge as part of sentencing under Australian-first proposed reforms from the NSW government.”
In response to recommendations from a NSW Sentencing Council review in early February, the state government said it would remove “good character” from being considered at sentencing hearings as a mitigating factor, for all crimes.
Judges will still be able to consider an individual’s rehabilitation prospects, likelihood of reoffending and lack of previous convictions.
The Sentencing Council review said that “good character” was “based on a vague and uncertain concept, lacks evidence in support of its value in predicting a risk of reoffending or prospects of rehabilitation, and engages an unjustified form of moral and social accounting”.
Two of the Council’s members disagreed with this opinion.
Under character law in NSW, those convicted of child sex offences cannot rely on good character in sentencing if the courts finds that this was a factor in them committing the offence.
People on remand will make up half of the overall NSW prison population if current trends continue.
Data released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) showed that the NSW prison population has increased by more than 8% in the last two years, driven mainly by a sharp increase in remand numbers.
More than 45% of the 13,000 people in prison in the state were on remand as of December 2025, the highest proportion ever recorded.
The number of people on remand in NSW has increased by more than 20% in the last two years.
The data also shows that First Nations people now make up more than a third of the overall prison population, also the highest proportion recorded by BOCSAR.
The incarceration rate for First Nations adults in NSW is now 15 times higher than non-First Nations people.
“These record numbers show that we are still not seeing the reductions needed to address Aboriginal overrepresentation in custody or to meet Closing the Gap targets,” BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said.
“This remains one of the most persistent and pressing challenges facing the criminal justice system.”
The number of people in youth detention in NSW has increased by nearly 30% in the last two years, and three-quarters of these children are on remand.
Educational resources provided by cool.org are now available in a number of Victorian prisons.
Corrections Victoria has partnered with cool.org, a charity aiming to provide new ways to make education more accessible.
The resources became available at Tarrengower Prison, Kareenga, Western Plains Correctional Centre and the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre at the end of last year.
The Victorian government is spending more than $7000 per day to keep a young person in prison, by far the most of any state or territory in the country.
According to figures released by the Productivity Commission, Victoria spent $7304 per day in 2024-25 to keep a young person in youth detention, more than double the national average of $3635.
There was an average of 74 children in detention in Victoria in the last year, up from 54 in the year before.
Across Australia there was an average of 734 young people in detention each day, up from 711 the previous year.
Australian states and territories spent a total of $1.1 billion in 2024-25 on youth justice.
Spending more than $7000 to hold a young person in prison per day – by far the most of any state.
Body scans are being increasingly relied upon to prevent contraband being taken into Canberra’s only prison, but prison officers may not have the expertise required to use these devices, a court has heard.
A coronial inquest is underway into the death of 34-year-old Aubrey Agostino at Alexander Manonchie Centre in the ACT in August 2024, just days after he entered the prison.
The inquest heard that Agostino may have concealed contraband upon entry to the prison that was missed on a body scan.
An expert witness told the court that there were “suspect appearances” in the scans that may have not been detected by the officers.
The court heard that prison officers may be ill-equipped to properly read the X-ray scans and detect contraband.
X-ray body scans were responsible for 60 percent of the 281 contraband seizures recorded in 2024-25.
A new facility specifically for women on bail has opened in Alice Springs.
Run by the Salvation Army, the centre is part of the Open House Program and will offer wrap-around support services for women on remand or leaving prison on bail.
The 10-bed accommodation facility has $7.5 million in funding over five years from the territory government.
It was expected to be more than half full in its first week of opening in late January.
As of the start of December there were 60 women held on remand at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre.
Those found guilty of domestic violence-related murder will automatically receive a non-parole period of 25 years under reforms announced by the Northern Territory government.
The legislation, which was introduced to Parliament in early February, would increase the automatic life sentence for those convicted of murder, which is currently 20 years in prison.
Northern Territory Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said this would be the “strongest sentencing for DV murder in the country”.
A United Nations review of Australia’s compliance with human rights has criticised Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Centre and raised concerns with the use of solitary confinement on children.
The five-yearly Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights Record raised the Tasmanian centre as an especially serious example of the failure of youth detention, along with Banksia Hill in Western Australia and Don Dale in the Northern Territory.
The review raised concerns about the “almost constant increase” in the number of young people being held on remand, the “very low age of criminal responsibility” around the country and about the use of solitary confinement.
Staff at Ashley Youth Detention Centre participated in a strike on early February over what their union said were safety risks and severe understaffing.
South Australian prison officers have reached an in-principle agreement with the state government for a 10.8 percent pay increase and a “tailored package” following a 72-hour strike in December.
The Public Service Association of South Australia members voted in mid-February over the proposed pay increases, which also include bonuses for the lowest paid.
The state government said there would be a “tailored package” for prison officers following the industrial action late last year, that placed prisons across the state in extended lockdowns.
In mid-February, a man escaped from Adelaide Pre-Release Centre only to be returned soon after by his mother. The man scaled the facility’s razor wire fence around 2am, after deceiving staff into thinking he was asleep by covering his bed with clothing under his blanket into the shape of a body.
After successfully getting out, he went to his parents home where the family called the prison to notify them of his escape. About an hour later, the mother returned him via staff at the prison reception. He has since been charged with escaping lawful custody and was transferred to a high security prison.
Queensland Police Service has raised concerns about overcrowding in police watch houses and said that police officers have been forced to transport people around the state.
In one incident, police alleged that two women were forced to urinate in disposable devices in the back of a police vehicle after being blocked from entering a Brisbane prison.
The women were flown from Cairns to Brisbane in late January and then driven to Brisbane Women’s Jail.
But they were not received at the prison that day and allegedly refused access to the prison’s toilets.
Two prison officers have reportedly been referred for investigation over the incident.
Over 1 million people in Australia legally consume prescription cannabis for medicinal purposes.
In Queensland, it is an offence to operate a motor vehicle if cannabis (specifically the chemical THC) is detectable in your body – even if you have a prescription.
Many workplaces also have a zero-tolerance policy towards employees who test positive to medicinal cannabis.
Recently, an e-Petition has put pressure on QLD parliament to change the laws relating to medicinal cannabis.
To date, over 4,000 people have signed the petition.
The petition seeks a change to the law so that medicinal cannabis users who test positive, but are not impaired, won’t be penalised.
The petition says that “medicinal cannabis prescribed by a doctor should be treated consistently with other prescription medicines”.
The petitioners claim it is unfair to penalise medicinal cannabis users when other medications, which also lead to impairment, are not subject to similar testing and social stigma.
Interestingly, 12.6 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in 2025.
Opioids are not tested during roadside saliva tests.
The petition can be signed electronically on the QLD parliament website.
If you don’t have access to a computer, you can nominate someone to sign the petition for you.
A new facility specifically for women on bail has opened in Alice Springs.
Run by the Salvation Army, the centre is part of the Open House Program and will offer wrap-around support services for women on remand or leaving prison on bail.
The 10-bed accommodation facility has $7.5 million in funding over five years from the territory government.
It was expected to be more than half full in its first week of opening in late January.
As of the start of December there were 60 women held on remand at the Alice Springs Correctional Centre.
Those found guilty of domestic violence-related murder will automatically receive a non-parole period of 25 years under reforms announced by the Northern Territory government.
The legislation, which was introduced to Parliament in early February, would increase the automatic life sentence for those convicted of murder, which is currently 20 years in prison.
Northern Territory Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said this would be the “strongest sentencing for DV murder in the country”.
A United Nations review of Australia’s compliance with human rights has criticised Tasmania’s Ashley Youth Detention Centre and raised concerns with the use of solitary confinement on children.
The five-yearly Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights Record raised the Tasmanian centre as an especially serious example of the failure of youth detention, along with Banksia Hill in Western Australia and Don Dale in the Northern Territory.
The review raised concerns about the “almost constant increase” in the number of young people being held on remand, the “very low age of criminal responsibility” around the country and about the use of solitary confinement.
Staff at Ashley Youth Detention Centre participated in a strike on early February over what their union said were safety risks and severe understaffing.
South Australian prison officers have reached an in-principle agreement with the state government for a 10.8 percent pay increase and a “tailored package” following a 72-hour strike in December.
The Public Service Association of South Australia members voted in mid-February over the proposed pay increases, which also include bonuses for the lowest paid.
The state government said there would be a “tailored package” for prison officers following the industrial action late last year, that placed prisons across the state in extended lockdowns.
In mid-February, a man escaped from Adelaide Pre-Release Centre only to be returned soon after by his mother. The man scaled the facility’s razor wire fence around 2am, after deceiving staff into thinking he was asleep by covering his bed with clothing under his blanket into the shape of a body.
After successfully getting out, he went to his parents home where the family called the prison to notify them of his escape. About an hour later, the mother returned him via staff at the prison reception. He has since been charged with escaping lawful custody and was transferred to a high security prison.
Queensland Police Service has raised concerns about overcrowding in police watch houses and said that police officers have been forced to transport people around the state.
In one incident, police alleged that two women were forced to urinate in disposable devices in the back of a police vehicle after being blocked from entering a Brisbane prison.
The women were flown from Cairns to Brisbane in late January and then driven to Brisbane Women’s Jail.
But they were not received at the prison that day and allegedly refused access to the prison’s toilets.
Two prison officers have reportedly been referred for investigation over the incident.
Over 1 million people in Australia legally consume prescription cannabis for medicinal purposes.
In Queensland, it is an offence to operate a motor vehicle if cannabis (specifically the chemical THC) is detectable in your body – even if you have a prescription.
Many workplaces also have a zero-tolerance policy towards employees who test positive to medicinal cannabis.
Recently, an e-Petition has put pressure on QLD parliament to change the laws relating to medicinal cannabis.
To date, over 4,000 people have signed the petition.
The petition seeks a change to the law so that medicinal cannabis users who test positive, but are not impaired, won’t be penalised.
The petition says that “medicinal cannabis prescribed by a doctor should be treated consistently with other prescription medicines”.
The petitioners claim it is unfair to penalise medicinal cannabis users when other medications, which also lead to impairment, are not subject to similar testing and social stigma.
Interestingly, 12.6 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in 2025.
Opioids are not tested during roadside saliva tests.
The petition can be signed electronically on the QLD parliament website.
If you don’t have access to a computer, you can nominate someone to sign the petition for you.
This information was supplied by Prisoner Legal Service Queensland. This is information and not legal advice.
Project: herself is an organisation I set up to advocate and support women to have self-determined lives. We do that through a couple of things – including storytelling advocacy and frontline service delivery.
In July 2025, four organisations came together to make sure the truth about prisons, policing and criminalisation in Australia was heard on the world stage.
In October last year, thousands of New South Wales prison officers also went on strike, plunging incarcerated people into abrupt and extended lockdowns.
Australia is in the midst of an epidemic of prison lockdowns. With the number of people in prison on the rise around the country and staff numbers failing to keep up, lockdowns are increasing in prevalence and severity, and have now become a regular part of prison life.
Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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