Prisoners feel the heat
A former Roebourne Regional Prison inmate has spoken out about the conditions of what the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services has called the "hottest prison in Australia".
Fiona Mullen is two months removed from a 12-month stint in the prison.
Before she was in Roebourne, Ms Mullen was in Geraldton's Greenough Regional Prison for eight months, which she said was like a holiday camp in comparison.
"It's a lot better set up, there are big grassed areas to sit in … it's not air-conditioned, but you don't need the air-conditioning down there," she said.
"We had people (OICS) come visit the prison (Roebourne)… and they would say it was draconian."
For five consecutive days from December 5, Roebourne hit maximums of at least 44C, with the temperature on three of those days reaching 47C.
Ms Mullen visited the prison on one of the 47C days and said the heat was unbearable.
"They have a little air-conditioned room where the first four families get in and can visit ,but everyone else visits outside," she said.
"They spent all this money on a new work camp, whereas they should have made it better for the visitors and prisoners."
A $20 million work camp was opened at the prison in June.
A Department of Corrective Services spokesman said there were no heat-related complaints raised by prisoners over the 47C weekend.
"There have been no reported health problems as a result from temperatures at the prison in the past five years," he said.
"When temperatures reach the mid to high 40 degree range, prison and work camp routines are amended as a matter of course.
Ms Mullen has no illusions about what life in prison should be like, but she said prisoners shouldn't have to be unreasonably punished on top of that.
After the last two inspections in 2013 and 2010, the OICS recommended that air-conditioning or some other form of climate control be installed in the prison's units.
Since 1984, the department has installed air-conditioning in women's cells, the maximum security wing, the work camp and other common areas, but not across the main men's unit.
As of December 9, there were 166 prisoners in Roebourne.
Another OICS inspection of the prison is set to be conducted mid-2015.
