Acacia Prison

Acacia is a 1000 bed male, medium security prison, located 60 kilometres east of Perth, Western Australia.

At Acacia we pride ourselves on our approach to rehabilitation and the quality of service we provide. An independent inspection carried out in November 2010 by the Western Australian Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services, found that the prison is “without doubt one of the best performing prisons in Western Australia, if not the best and it is also providing a financial saving to the State.”

The prison was praised for its high quality services and good record on security and safety, transparency and accountability, treatment of prisoners and rehabilitation programmes.

The report also found that Acacia presents the best prison health service in Western Australia and sets a national benchmark.

Acacia Prison strives to lead Australia in Correctional Services Management and proudly protects the Western Australian public by:

• Providing a safe, secure, and culturally appropriate pro-social environment for staff and prisoners

• Reducing crime by increasing opportunities for prisoners to address their offending behaviour and develop their potential

• Delivering excellent resettlement services to assist prisoners to reintegrate into the community and become responsible citizens

Acacia Prison excels in case management where prisoners are given support to prepare them for release and successful reintegration into the community. Programs include addressing cognitive, emotional and offending behaviour, as well as academic and vocational skills deficits. Programmes successfully introduced by the Acacia team include:

• Indigenous health service initiatives
• Literacy, language, art, design and music courses
• Increased Indigenous prisoner involvement in the peer support programme
• Specific needs management
• Education and employment programs

Acacia Prison is not dissimilar to a small community and employs staff from a range of professional backgrounds including:

• Case management, security and administrative staff
• Teachers and trades instructors
• Medical and mental health staff
• Chefs
• Recreation officers.

Acacia Prison is wholly owned by the State and is managed by Serco under a 15-year contract with the Western Australian Department of Corrective Services. It is the only privately run prison in Western Australia.