Western Australian prisoners are being handed weekly gratuity payments of $10.15 in exchange for sleeping on concrete floors, as chronic overcrowding stretches the state's prison system to its limits and fuels growing inmate tension.
The payments, intended to keep unrest and potential riots in check, have drawn sharp criticism from the state's opposition and the WA Prison Officers Union, who argue the arrangement is a sign that the government has lost control of its corrections system.
Taxpayers Funding Floor-Sleeping Payments
The WA Prison Officers Union has condemned the practice, insisting the gratuity payments prisoners normally receive are tied to productive work such as cooking and laundry — not compensation for living in what the union describes as inhumane conditions.
"Taxpayers would be disgusted to know their money was going to prisoners for putting up with conditions that they shouldn't have to experience," said union secretary Andy Smith.
Smith went further, describing the situation in stark terms: "That's third world." He said the prison system is currently at breaking point, with 17 prison officers leaving their posts every month.
Government Defends the Payments as Standard Practice
The state government has pushed back against suggestions the payments are extraordinary, with corrections minister Sabine Winton describing them as routine.
"It's not a new thing," Winton said, adding that the number of prisoners receiving the payments shifts from day to day and that the government would continue managing the system as normal.
However, the union disputes that characterisation, arguing there is nothing standard about compensating prisoners simply for enduring overcrowded, substandard sleeping arrangements.
Overcrowding Creating Broader Community Safety Concerns
Beyond the payments themselves, critics say the overcrowding crisis is having direct consequences for public safety. Jam-packed facilities are reportedly forcing authorities to release prisoners early in order to ease pressure on the system — a situation the opposition says is unacceptable.
Adam Hort, the opposition's spokesperson for corrective services, said the community deserves better.
"Victims of crime deserve justice and Western Australians deserve to know that they have a prison system that is working to keep the community safe," Hort said, describing the system as being "in disrepair".
The union's warning about officer resignations adds another layer of concern, suggesting that staff retention — alongside prisoner numbers — is compounding the strain on facilities across the state.
Calls for Government Action
With prison officers quitting at a rate of 17 per month and prisoners sleeping on cement floors in exchange for small weekly payments, pressure is mounting on the WA government to outline a longer-term strategy for addressing the overcrowding crisis. Neither the opposition nor the union has indicated the situation is likely to stabilise without significant intervention.
