Public hearing 27 of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation of people with disability will examine conditions in detention for people with disability in the criminal justice system. During the hearing, conditions in both youth detention and adult prisons will be examined.
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Some of the stories and information below may contain details of abuse, neglect and mistreatment of people with disabilities. If this content causes you distress, you can find help here.
How can I attend?
The Royal Commission will hold a public hearing from 19 - 23 September 2022 at 207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth. The hearing will largely focus on conditions in detention in Western Australia. An online live stream, video and audio recordings will be available.
The live stream and video recordings include Auslan, captions and audio-only options. Transcripts will be available in PDF and DOCX formats.
What is it about?
The scope and purpose of Public hearing 27 are to:
- highlight the high rates of incarceration of people with disability, including First Nations people with disability
- hear about violence, abuse, neglect & exploitation against people with disability detained in youth detention and adult prisons
- examine why the policies, practices and responses have failed to address violence, abuse, neglect & exploitation against people with disability in these settings
- assess the effectiveness of oversight and complaint mechanisms
- hear from human rights groups and advocates about their work with people with disability in detention and their proposals for change
- consider the specific WA Government agencies’ responses to the issues outlined above including proposals for change
Live stream
This live stream/recording has closed captions and Auslan translations. In addition, there is an audio-only stream option. Recordings can be accessed by clicking on Event Posts in the top right-hand corner of the video frame.Witness List
Official Transcripts
Media coverage
Disability Royal Commission
Media Release: Conditions in detention for people with disability to be examined in hearing
The Disability Royal Commission will inquire into the conditions for people with disability in youth detention and adult prisons during its twenty-seventh Public hearing in Perth next week.
The West Australian
The mother of a Banksia Hill inmate “ruined” by his experience at the youth detention centre — which included more than 400 consecutive days in an isolation unit — has called for an overhaul of the training given to guards to place greater focus on mental health, disability and trauma.
A woman who lives with muscular dystrophy thought prison guards were trying to kill her when she was repeatedly dropped while being transferred in and out of her wheelchair.
Support Services
Your Story Disability Legal Support is a free, independent legal service that supports people with disabilities to share their stories with the Disability Royal Commission safely.
The Disability Royal Commission has set up support services for people with disabilities affected by or interacting with the Commission process. These supports include counselling, advocacy, and financial and legal help. For more information and links, read our resource on Royal Commission Support Services.
The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline is a free, independent and confidential service for reporting mistreatment of people with disabilities.