A mass riot breaks out at a maximum security prison, leaving six guards injured and one with a broken foot
- Six guards injured in prison riots
- Young detainees climbed onto the roof
Six prison guards were injured after a child hit an officer with an improvised weapon and stole her keys before a mass riot ensued.
The juvenile detainees were held at 4pm on Saturday at Juvenile Detention Unit 18 of Casuarina Prison, a maximum security prison in Perth.
Two children were outside their cells recreating when one of them used a makeshift weapon – made from the metal of their bed frame – to hit a juvenile guard on the head and steal her keys.
A group of 13 juvenile inmates at Casuarina maximum security prison in Perth rioted after two of them assaulted a guard and stole her keys
The pair then freed 11 other children from their cells, sparking the riot.
“The 13 detainees climbed the roofs of Unit 18 and two nearby buildings, damaging infrastructure and throwing debris at staff,” said a spokesperson for the Western Australian Department of Justice.
During the incident, a security cordon was placed and prisoners were detained in Casuarina.
“The detainees gradually surrendered to officers during the night, the last at 2:15 am.”
Six prison guards were injured in the incident, including one with a broken foot.
Three buildings sustained damage and one was flooded after the sprinkler system was activated.
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said the detainees’ behavior was “appalling”.
“They will suffer the consequences, they will face the charges, and so on,” McGowan said at a media conference on Sunday.
“When they do things like this, it’s unacceptable, shocking, horrible.
“I don’t have time for it, I think the vast majority of the problem doesn’t have time for it either.”
At least one of the group of 13 is over the age of 18 and was convicted when he was a juvenile offender.
The youths are being held at Casuarina while repairs are made at the Banksia Hill Youth Detention Centre, where the facility was damaged by rioting earlier this year.
After 13 of the juvenile detainees climbed onto the roof of the prison, the guards were unable to fully restore order for about 10 hours
WA Prime Minister Mark McGowan labeled detainees’ behavior ‘appalling’ and said their actions would have consequences
“We spend a lot of money to beef up security and so forth because they just destroy their cells … when they get a chance to go for recreation, they attack people,” Mr McGowan said. .
“That’s the problem we face.”
The Prime Minister reiterated that his government will try to introduce laws by the middle of the year to ensure that offenders are transferred to adult facilities once they turn 18.
In a separate riot in late February, a prison guard at Banksia Hill Youth Detention Center suffered a skull fracture.
A large-scale riot also took place there on New Year’s Eve, in which two buildings were damaged by fire.
There was also a ‘breakdown’ at Acacia Prison at the end of January, which also required the assistance of firefighters.