A warning the next story contains the name of an Indigenous person who has died. Western Australia’s corrective services minister has released an interim report into the death of 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd, revealing significant failures on the night he was found in his cell at the Unit 18 youth detention block.
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00:00 Well the report confirmed what an ABC investigation had already revealed earlier this week in
00:07 terms of what exactly happened at Unit 18 that night.
00:10 This included staff not wearing their radios which delayed their response as well as staff
00:15 not wearing their body worn cameras and more shockingly that at least one staff member
00:20 was watching movies during the incident.
00:23 The Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalier spoke a short time ago.
00:26 Here's what he had to say.
00:29 "Currently none of these things are acceptable.
00:33 Collectively they are disturbing and confirm the need for significant cultural change."
00:42 Before I pass over to Commissioner Royce I'd like to make one more point.
00:48 While it is without question there was a severe lack of procedural compliance on the night,
00:54 the purpose of this report is not to establish what, if any, of these elements directly or
01:01 indirectly contributed to Cleveland's death.
01:04 That is the role of the coroner.
01:06 Well the new Corrective Services Commissioner Brad Royce has committed to improving some
01:11 of those cultural issues as well as holding the staff to a higher standard of following
01:17 procedure.
01:18 He said he worked with those staff to examine some of the issues highlighted by the report
01:22 and roll out a brand new body worn camera system similar to that of WA Police which
01:28 will live stream back to the control room.
01:30 He hopes these initiatives will make the facility safer for staff and detainees.
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