WARNING: This article contains distressing content and references an Aboriginal person who has passed.
An Aboriginal woman has died in custody at Western Australia's Bandyup Women's Prison.
The 35-year-old was found unresponsive in her single-occupancy cell early Monday morning, according to a statement from WA Corrective Services.
Correctional officers administered first aid prior to paramedics arriving, but the woman was declared deceased on site.
"Preliminary reports indicate that there were no suspicious circumstances," said WA Corrective Services spokesperson said.
A report is being prepared for the State Coroner.
Advocates raise concern for safety of incarcerated women
Despite Corrective Services stating the woman's passing was not of suspicious circumstances, advocates have raised concerns for inmate safety.
The National Network of Incarcerated & Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls are questioning why the woman was being held in solitary confinement.
"We do not yet know whether this woman was being held in solitary confinement, why she was in a single cell, or what circumstances led to her death," said Founder, Debbie Kilroy.
Ms Kilroy noted the issue of "dangerously overcrowded" prisons which "place immense strain on the women inside".
Network member and Founder of Voice of Hope, Lorraine Pryor said overcrowded is a major health concern.
"Overcrowding creates conditions of heightened distress, isolation and neglect. It reduces access to health care, mental health support and meaningful human contact," said the Noongar woman.
"These conditions are not incidental, they are the predictable outcome of policies that continue to expand policing and imprisonment, including increasingly punitive bail laws that are driving the imprisonment of more women, many of whom are themselves survivors of violence and poverty."
Ms Pryor acknowledged the disproportionate impact of said policies on Aboriginal women, who are currently the fastest growing prison population nationally.
"Their deaths in custody continue to expose the ongoing violence of a system that was never designed for them," she said.
The Network is a proudly abolitionist, believing the answer lies in decarceration.
"Governments must urgently reduce the number of women in prison by ending the over-use of remand, repealing punitive bail laws, and investing in community-based supports,’ said Ms Kilroy.
"At the same time, while women remain inside prisons, governments must ensure that organisations led by women with lived experience of imprisonment are resourced to provide support to women inside prison.
"Peer-led support and advocacy are critical in ensuring women have someone they trust to turn to and in holding prison systems accountable for the treatment of those in their care."
1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)
13YARN 13 92 76
Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
