Teen's drug claim leads to review
The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services will examine drug use at the State's main juvenile detention centre after an allegation a teenager used cannabis “every day” while detained.
This comes after the Kalgoorlie Miner on Saturday revealed that the Department of Corrective Services had started its own investigation into the claim, which was made during the sentencing of a then 17-year-old boy earlier this month.
The teenager was sentenced to detention for three years and eight months after he was involved in a machete attack and kidnapping in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
During the child’s sentencing, State Prosecutor Tracy Weston said the child had told a psychiatrist he “has been using cannabis every day since he has been at Banksia Hill Detention Centre”.
The Miner sent a number of questions to OICS, which is the independent organisation which oversees WA’s prison and juvenile facilities.
In response, deputy inspector Andrew Harvey said: “Following the recent move of all young offenders from the Rangeview Remand Centre to Banksia Hill, a full inspection of Banksia Hill had been scheduled for early 2013.
