Aboriginal incarceration rates high

Aboriginal prisoners account for about one third of Casuarina Prison's population, despite indigenous people only representing 3.6 per cent of WA residents at the 2011 Census.

According to a Department of Corrective Services spokesman, assault-related offences represented the highest number of prisoners by offence type at the prison.

He said Aboriginal incarceration rates at Casuarina had declined 6 per cent in the past year, from 300 on June 11, 2014 to 235, on June 11, 2015. The spokesman said the rate of return to prison for adult men in WA was about 40 per cent, but the Aboriginal adult recidivism rate was about 50 per cent.

Warnbro MLA and WA Labor corrective services spokesman Paul Papalia said those statistics were a failure of the State Government.

"They've locked up more Aboriginals than any Government in history," he said.

"The measure of successful prisons is reducing numbers - if prisons were effective, people wouldn't be coming back. We've got record numbers of prisoners, but the Barnett Government has no plans to change that except to build another prison, which is money we don't have, for 300 prisoners (which) could cost $300 million."

A document released by the department late last year says from the 2009-10 to 2013-14 financial years, the rate of offenders who left corrective services but returned within two years had fallen from 38.5 per cent to 32.9 per cent - a proportionate reduction of 14.7 per cent.

The report said adult offenders who left prison but returned to corrective services within two years fell from 53.7 per cent to 45.2 per cent, a 15.9 proportionate reduction.

Mr Papalia said the Government needed to assess who was in prison and what programs were available to them. "The Barnett Government has done nothing to reduce the recidivism rates," he said.

"Anecdotally, people aren't accessing programs which make them eligible for parole, which means they stay longer."

A Corrective Services spokesman said prisoners' rehabilitation included intensive therapeutic intervention, addressing behaviour and addiction issues, psychological support, and post-sentence preparation.

"In the 2013-14 financial year, 40 per cent of Aboriginal adult prisoners were engaged in education - the largest adult basic education program for Aboriginal people in WA," he said.

"Casuarina Prison's market garden, bakery and laundry provide training and work experience opportunities to help prisoners become job-ready and motivated to adopt a law-abiding lifestyle upon release."