Prisoners who test positive for drugs will be denied contact visits as part of a new crackdown on substance abuse in West Australian jails.
Prison officers will also be routinely tested amid reports some are under the influence while on-duty, Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis says.
The new plan will be first trialled at Bunbury Regional Prison this month.
The minister said about 90 per cent of inmates at the prison had previously tested positive for drugs but were rarely punished.
"They will now have to tell family and friends 'I can't touch you today, I've tested positive for drugs'," he told 6PR radio on Monday.
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"If you want to change someone's behaviour, you need a carrot and a stick."
Contact visits were a key opportunity for prisoners to access drugs, as well as through the post, over the fence of jails and via corrupt staff, he added.
As part of a wider clean-up of drugs in prisons, staff and prison officers will also be tested for illegal substances.
"I expect the highest standards of integrity from prison officers, I can't have drug users protecting drug dealers - it just won't happen," he said.
But Mr Francis said the primary reason for testing prison officers was because of workplace safety.
