Casuarina has been undergoing a major expansion program that will see the facility become the biggest prison in Australia.
In addition to the mainstream prisoner population, it houses and supports adult prisoners across a number of specialist service units, which are available for people across the custodial estate.
These cohorts include high-risk or major-threat adult prisoners in the Special Handling Unit (SHU) as well as those placed in protection units for their safety.
OICS inspected Casuarina in September last year. It said Casuarina continued to be responsible for many of the State’s most difficult-to-manage prisoners.
Corrective Services Commissioner Mike Reynolds said Casuarina management and staff had continued to operate the facility effectively and efficiently and address the challenges of an expanding and increasingly complex prison.
"Successfully managing adult male prisoners in the specialist and mainstream population units is testament to the proficiency of management, staff, specialists and peer support prisoners at Casuarina," Commissioner Reynolds said.
The prison also offers prisoners hoping to address their alcohol and other drug (AOD) addictions an opportunity to take part in a ‘therapeutic community’ within its Mallee Rehabilitation Centre.
OICS highlighted the Mallee unit’s success in helping treat adult prisoners’ AOD issues since its inception in 2020.
"We found Mallee to be a positive and energised environment," its report said. "Participants were fully engaged and spoke highly of the (AOD) program and of custodial and non-custodial staff."
Early data showed Mallee graduates had a lower return-to-prison rate than Casuarina’s average.
OICS also noted a new official visits centre had improved access to legal resources and services, greatly assisting the prison’s capacity to cater for the needs of an increased remand population.
Its report said areas including the SHU, infirmary, confinement regimes and education were also well managed.
Department Director General Dr Adam Tomison said Casuarina held a unique position in the State’s prison system.
"Casuarina management, staff and specialist service providers perform a critical role in handling the various risks and the OICS report acknowledges this," Dr Tomison said.
"As the prison infrastructure expansion construction works advance, additional specialist service units and functions will come on stream."
The expansion project includes new high security, forensic mental health and high dependency units, an expanded infirmary and new accommodation units and support buildings.
OICS pointed out Casuarina’s Aboriginal adult prisoners received good support from Aboriginal staff, peer support prisoners were dedicated and committed with some completing a Certificate IV in mental health, and extremely high-care prisoners were well managed in the infirmary.
The scope of the inspection did not include Unit 18, which is operated separately from the adult prison as a gazetted youth detention facility.
