Briefly:
Former Western Australia Department of Justice director-general Adam Tomison says he regrets not meeting the mother of the Aboriginal teenager who killed himself at Unit 18.
Speaking at the inquest into the teenager’s death on Wednesday, Mr Thompson offered a personal apology to Nadine Dodd, who was present in court.
The apology came after coroner Philip Urquhart criticised government departments for delays in providing key documents to the inquest.
The former head of Western Australia’s Department of Justice has admitted the death of an Aboriginal teenager in juvenile detention was preventable and apologised to his mother for the failure.
Warning: This story discusses self-harm and contains the name and image of a deceased person.
Cleveland Dodd was 16 when he died, a week after self-harming in his cell in Unit 18 – the notorious youth wing inside Perth’s maximum security Casuarina Men’s Prison.
The first part of the unprecedented investigation into the first death at a juvenile detention centre in Washington state began in April, hearing evidence from staff who worked the night Cleveland self-harmed to death on October 12 last year.
The second part of the inquiry began this week, with senior officials from the Department of Justice and Correctional Services called to give evidence about the notorious Unit 18, which opened in July 2022.
Former Justice Department director general Adam Thompson told the court during his appearance at the inquiry on Wednesday that he had never met Cleveland’s mother, Nadine Dodd, something he said he regretted.
He then apologized to Ms. Dodd, who was present in the courtroom.
“The department and I let you down and I’m sorry,” he said.
Asked if he accepted the idea that Cleveland’s death could have been predicted, Dr. Thompson said: “To some extent, yes.”
Former judge regrets ‘misinformation’
Testifying at the hearing, retired judge and former juvenile court chief justice Dennis Reynolds said he believed Unit 18 should be closed “immediately.”
He expressed regret for what he described as government “misinformation,” referring to photos and videos the Justice Ministry provided to the media before sending the detainees there.
“If they showed it” [images of] 17 detainees, including 12 indigenous people, arrived [at Unit 18] “If that had been the case, it would have sent a different picture to the community,” Mr Reynolds told the inquest.
“The audience will be shocked by this.”
Reynolds said he believed Cleveland’s death was “preventable, predictable, and foreseeable.”
He said reforming the state’s juvenile justice system requires changing the system.
“What we need is not to change the infrastructure, but to change the system,” he said.
Coroner criticizes government departments
Earlier, coroner Philip Urquhart criticised Western Australian government lawyers and bureaucrats for “throwing away” crucial documents at the last minute.
Speaking in court on Wednesday morning, the coroner’s assistant counsel, Anthony Crocker, said the court had received a raft of important documents on Tuesday afternoon that should have been filed months ago.
The documents were submitted by the State Solicitor’s Office (SSO) on behalf of Deputy Commissioner for Women and Youth Affairs Christine Ginby and Deputy Superintendent at Banksia Hill Detention Centre Angela Cooney.
Mr Crocker told the court that among the documents recently submitted to the court was an operating model for Unit 18, which was written before the centre opened.
“It is astonishing to think that no one thought it appropriate to tell the court before yesterday. [about this]”Mr. Crocker said,”
Coroner Urquhart said the court had been “swamped with an enormous amount of material” this week alone, even though witnesses had been aware since last year of the material that needed to be presented to the court.
“I am very concerned about this,” Coroner Urquhart told the court.
“[It is] Operating Model for Unit 18 [and] The first time the court learned of this was yesterday afternoon.
“I expected (…) it to be brought to court immediately – it is an operating model.
“Someone is wrong here.”
The coroner called Ms. Jinbei to testify and explain why the court did not receive key documents and information earlier.
Ms Jinbe told the court that she was not specifically asked to check her emails for information, and that she did so of her own free will when preparing her statement to the court several weeks ago.
She also told the court that she did not look at her outgoing emails, but only at her inbox.
The court first heard a copy of the draft operating model provided to the National Security Office in May this year.
The court also heard that the author of the operating model, Chris Rule, had not been brought to the coroner’s office before and could have been called as a witness.
Ms Jinbei said she was “surprised” when she realised the author of the operating model was not on the investigation list.
Asked why she did not raise the issue with the court, the deputy commissioner said: “I didn’t think it was my place to do that.”
Mr Crocker also criticised Ms Jinbe for writing a note reminding herself to seek more information about the creation of Unit 18 while she was on the stand, and for struggling to provide him with answers.
“Who knew what happened and when… Is it any surprise that this is something the investigation might be interested in?” the deputy commissioner asked.
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Coroner Urquhart indicated he may have to issue a summons to the department, due to concerns that the investigation did not include all the necessary material it required.
“I am very concerned at the palace about this material reaching this court,” the coroner said.
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