Another summer without aircon at Australia's hottest prison

Nearly two years after the WA government promised to install air conditioning at Australia’s hottest prison, no date has been set for when this will happen with a sweltering summer fast approaching.

Situated more than 1550km from Perth in far-north Western Australia lies Roebourne Regional Prison, the hottest jail in the country.

Despite a state government promise nearly two years ago to finally install air-conditioning in every cell at the prison to combat the stifling and life-threatening heat, there is still no heat control across the facility.

This week alone, just a week out of winter, temperatures will reach the high 30s every day, and a sweltering summer is fast-approaching, where temperatures are likely to reach as high as 50C.

In November 2022, the Western Australian government announced that air-conditioning would be installed in every cell at Roebourne prison, after decades of campaigning by lawyers, activists and independent watchdogs.

The government confirmed that $10 million would be spent on the upgrade, which it initially said would take place in 2023-24.

But this did not happen, and the state government has now said the air-conditioning will be installed at some point in the current financial year, which runs until the end of June next year.

The state government signed a contract with Steens Gray and Kelly for “temperature management - engineering and building specialist services” for the Roebourne prison, running from late July 2024 to 30 July 2025.

The contract is worth just under $245,000.

A spokesperson for the WA Department of Justice said that air-conditioning will be installed in every cell “during the 2024-25 financial year”.

“The Department has a number of measures in place at the prison to manage heat risks,” they said.

“This includes fans in every cell, air-conditioning in the recreation hall, prisoner visits area and female activities area, access to ice machines and cold water bubblers and shade structures in the main areas of the prison. There are also a number of air-conditioned cells available for prisoners with medical conditions.

“The prison maintains a flexible routine to adjust to the conditions and ensures all planned recreational activities are closely supervised. Cell temperatures are monitored through the day in the accommodation units and medical staff are on duty to ensure prisoners’ health and safety.”

Roebourne prison is located in a small town more than 200km from Port Hedland, a maximum security facility holding more than 150 people. A large majority of the people incarcerated at Roebourne are First Nations people.

Temperatures at the prison have been recorded at nearly 50C, and commonly don’t drop below 30 degrees during the night.

There have been long-running concerns that these conditions will lead to a death in custody, and campaigners have pushed for air-conditioning at the facility for decades.

Former inmates have described feeling like their brains were “boiling” at the prison during the extreme heat.

A study at the prison from nearly a decade ago found that the average nighttime temperature in a cell during summer was 33 degrees, while temperatures were regularly still at 35 degrees before midnight.

In 2020 Western Australia’s Inspector of Custodial Services raised “grave” concerns over the heat at the prison and in 2022 again called for better heat mitigation to be implemented.

“It is an identified health and welfare risk that arises once the prisoners are locked down htat we feel ought to be effectively mitigated,” the Inspector’s report said.

“We have made this recommendation in various reports over many years and while we recognise that there are infrastructure constraints, a solution is needed. We have expressed grave concern at the lack of climate control in mainstream prisoner accommodation at Roebourne and in other aspects of prison life over many years.”

The inspector again raised the issue in its 2022-23 annual report.

“It has been an ongoing concern for this Office over many years but last summer the heat was at a record level,” it said.