Amnesty International is concerned that the administration of the criminal justice system in Western Australia falls short of internationally recognised human rights standards.
These failings expose prisoners to the risk of abuse and, in the most extreme cases, lead to preventable deaths in custody such as the tragic death of Mr Ward who died of heatstroke in 2008 after being transported from Laverton police station to Kalgoorlie, a four hour journey in the back of a prison van without air condition.
Amnesty International believes that the effective implementation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody would have affected the decision to charge Mr Ward, the decision not to grant bail and the decision to transport Mr Ward over a long distance in bad conditions which ultimately led to his death.
Amnesty International made a submission to the WA Government’s inquiry into transportation of detained persons.
You can find out more by reading the full submission here: Submission to WA Government inquiry into transportation of detained persons.
