The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services

The Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services oversees the way people in custody are managed. We conduct regular inspections and reviews of prisons, work camps, court custody centres and the detention facility holding young people. We are independent. We report directly to Parliament and our reports are also available to the public. Our aim is to involve volunteers as Independent Visitors. What is the Independent Visitors Service? The Independent Visitors Service gives people in prisons and detention centres the chance to voice complaints and concerns to help improve standards in custodial places. The scheme is an independent form of external scrutiny that monitors the standards of treatment and services in Western Australian prisons and detention centres. As such the service contributes significantly to the vision of a transparent and accountable custodial system. Role and Function: What do Independent Visitors do? Independent Visitors have five main interconnected functions: 1. To provide safeguard for the wellbeing and rights of prisoners and detainees. 2. To provide information to prisoners and detainees concerning access to services. 3. To speak on behalf of prisoners and detainees, when asked, to senior prison officers or juvenile custodial officers and/or the Superintendent. 4. To record any complaint made by, or on behalf of any prisoners or detainee. 5. To document and detail what happened during an independent visit and to forward a report to this Office. Independent Visitors are required to visit their appointed facility at least once every three months. Information gathered by Independent Visitors provides regular and fresh intelligence. This merges with the Office's own assessment of the performance of prisons and detention centres.