Two Deaths Spark Prison Review in WA

0:00It's April 21st. Adelaide News. Today starts now, AI-powered and ready. I'm Cory with the story. Two Aboriginal women have died at Western Australia's Vandy of Women's Prison in less than five weeks, sparking urgent calls for a transparent government review. The latest was a 40-year-old woman found unresponsive in her bed on Saturday morning, just over a month after a 35-year-old passed away. This comes alongside a 54-year-old man's death at Dowren work camp on Friday night. Department of Justice staff gave first aid until paramedics arrived, but she was declared dead, with no suspicious circumstances so far. Western Australia police will send reports to the corner, as required for all custody deaths. State data shows eight such deaths this year alone, up from four last year and five the year before. Green's leader Brad Pettit called it, a huge red flag, pushing for a full probe into prison issues and reviving recommendations from the 19.

1:0191 Royal Commission on Aboriginal deaths in custody. Advocate Megan Crackower, once prisoner health, shifted to the health department and federal laws changed for better Medicare access. Aboriginal Legal Service boss Wayne Nanub stresses early intervention in community rehab over just locking folks up. Justice Minister Joe Papalia labeled any custody death a tragedy, offering sympathies but holding off on details until the coronal inquest wraps up. He's also eyeing old quarantine sites to ease overcrowding, as inmate numbers explode. With reports heading to the corner and advocates keeping the pressure on, these deaths highlight deep systemic cracks that demand real fixes now.