Media Release: Close Unit 18
For Immediate Release
1 September 2024
Progressive Therapeutic Collective Demands Immediate Action from WA Government: Urges Closure of Unit 18 After Another Tragic Loss
Dja Dja Wurrung, 1 September 2024 – Progressive Therapeutic Collective, a national mental health practice dedicated to serving marginalised communities, has issued a powerful call to action to the WA Labor Government following the tragic death of another young person in Unit 18, an adult prison facility in Western Australia. This is the third time the practice has formally written to Hon. Paul Papalia, Minister for Corrective Services, demanding urgent changes and the closure of Unit 18.
Sarah Newbold, Practice Director of Progressive Therapeutic Collective, expressed the organization’s deep frustration and anger over the continued neglect of vulnerable young people incarcerated in adult facilities. “We have seen firsthand the devastating impact of systemic failure on marginalised individuals. The continued incarceration of minors within an adult prison is not just unacceptable—it’s a death sentence,” Newbold stated.
The practice cites alarming statistics to underscore the extreme dangers faced by young people in these environments. According to the Human Rights Law Centre (2020), youth in detention are 19 times more likely to take their own lives than their peers outside of detention. Despite previous warnings to the WA government in November 2023 and February 2024, no meaningful action has been taken, and conditions have only worsened, resulting in another preventable loss of life.
In their letter to Minister Papalia, Progressive Therapeutic Collective has made three clear demands:
Remove all minors from adult prison facilities and relocate them to appropriate youth-specific environments focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Implement transformative justice practices that address the root causes of youth offending and provide the necessary support for reintegration into society.
Launch an independent investigation into the conditions within Unit 18 and the circumstances leading to these deaths, with full transparency and public accountability.
“The WA Labor Government’s indifference to the lives of these young people is a stain on its record,” Newbold continued. “Every death in Unit 18 represents a monumental failure of the system that is supposed to protect them. We refuse to stand by as more lives are lost.”
Progressive Therapeutic Collective is urging immediate and decisive action from the WA government. The practice will continue to hold the government accountable for every preventable death that occurs within these facilities and demands that these issues be addressed with the urgency they deserve.
For more information or to speak with Sarah Newbold, please contact:
admin@progressivetherapeutic.com.au
About Progressive Therapeutic Collective
Progressive Therapeutic Collective is a national mental health practice comprising accredited and experienced professionals who work extensively with marginalised communities. The practice is committed to advocating for transformative justice and systemic change to protect the most vulnerable members of society.