Inmates in Western Australia are sleeping on mattresses on the floor of overcrowded cells and subjected to “cruel, inhuman and degrading” conditions, prompting the jails watchdog to call for urgent reform.

Most of WA’s correctional facilities are in crisis, with an increased level of harm observed across the system, the state’s inspector of custodial services, Eamon Ryan, said in a report tabled in parliament on Tuesday.

There was a potentially serious risk to the security, control, safety, care and welfare of prisoners in the Hakea, Melaleuca and Casuarina facilities, he said.

“This is no longer a problem confined to a single facility – it reflects a systemic failure across multiple prisons,” Ryan said.

Conditions pose a serious risk to the safety and wellbeing of prisoners and staff, and in some cases may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, the report said.

“The system is operating beyond its capacity, with overcrowding, workforce pressures and restrictive regimes now embedded as the norm,” Ryan said.

WA’s adult prisons were operating in a sustained state of unsafe failure, driven by unprecedented growth in prisoner numbers – 37% over three years – and chronic workforce instability that had outpaced the system’s capacity to respond, the report said.

Widespread overcrowding, including triple-bunking and prisoners sleeping on mattresses on the floor, has eroded infrastructure resilience to the point the system is unable to safely absorb or respond to major incidents. In many cases, the report noted, this means inmates are sleeping next to the cell’s shared toilet.

One inmate at Hakea, quoted in the report, said: “So many cockroaches in cell. No laundry. No use of phones. Toilets are broken. No pillow. It’s filthy.”

A staff member at Casuarina, also quoted in the report, said low staffing meant “staff safety is beyond compromised”.

Chronic staff shortfalls have triggered routine lockdowns to maintain control, significantly reduced time out of cell, cancelled family contact and limited access to basic services, leading to the routine denial of fundamental entitlements, the report said.

“I’ve seen my kids 3 times since November, they book every week without fail, all visits are cancelled,” a woman incarcerated in Melaleuca said, in a comment included in the report. Another said: “We get locked in too much no fresh water haven’t seen my family in 4 week due to cancelled visits makes my mental health shit.”

Yet another woman at Melaleuca described high levels of mental distress. Hakea, Casuarina and Melaleuca accounted for 60% of all self-harm incidents in the year to January 2026, the report said, reflecting an upward trend.

“Women are still self harming and hanging themselves. If not for cell mates deaths in custody here would be sky high. The cell mates are left to deal with it. That’s not okay,” she said.

The report said the environment in the three prisons “materially increase the risk of serious harm and death in custody”.

“There are strong parallels with warning signs present prior to the 2018 Greenough Regional Prison riot.”

The Greenough riot in July 2018 led to the escape of 10 inmates and caused millions of dollars in damage.

Ryan called on the government to formally commit to and fund the system-level reforms required to address the concerns identified at the prisons.

He also issued a show-cause notice, initially to the WA justice department and then the minister for corrective services, Paul Papalia, after the department’s response.

Papalia told parliament the increased prison population was due to the “stellar performance” of WA police in arresting people for family violence offences and added that corrective services did not control how many people came into prison.

“They are funded to do it, there is a plan and it’s being executed,” he said.

It is not the first time concerning conditions have been found in a WA prison.

In May 2024, conditions in Hakea were found to have deteriorated to the point where it was suspected that prisoners were being held in conditions that were cruel, inhuman or degrading.

A show-cause notice was issued. Follow-up reports in 2025 also highlighted problems at the facility.

The department said it was addressing the problems at the three prisons as part of system-wide reforms.

These included “operational, workforce and infrastructure measures” to manage the growing prisoner population, capacity constraints and staffing challenges.

“These measures are supporting more stable operations and reducing reliance on restrictive routines across parts of the estate, with Hakea particularly benefiting,” the corrective services commissioner, Brad Royce, said.

Strengthened governance, targeted interventions and sustained investment in staff and infrastructure were making Hakea, Casuarina and Melaleuca safer and more resilient, he said.