Youth justice in crisis before teen’s death: coroner

Anything should be done to ensure that another child does not die in custody, he said an investigation for a deadly self -harm when a forensic medical officer was in custody.

Cleveland Dodd was found unresponsive in a cell in the unit 18, a young wing of the high -security adult facility in Perth in the early hours of October 12, 2023.

The 16 -year -old child was taken to the hospital in a critical situation and died a week later and caused anger and sorrow in the community.

It has led to a long -term investigation that began in April 2024, and Coroner Philip Urquhart said that on Tuesday, he could recommend the closure of the unit 18 when delivering his pre -findings.

“The evidence of the investigation revealed that youth justice was a crisis during Cleveland’s death, and for a while,” the Coroner Court said to the Coroner Court. He said.

Coroner said the Ministry of Justice can now recommend that you do not control the youth justice land.

In accordance with the Public Sector Management Law, it is intending to call for a special investigation on how the unit 18 was founded in mid -2012.

“Youth in custody should be done to minimize a child’s risk of death in custody.” He said.

Coroner said he supported the evidence, and that the justice department could not properly control Cleveland before he was deadly damaging him.

According to the department policy, the staff could not wear radio, Cleveland was limited to the extremely cell cell, and the young man’s cell to harm the self.

The department said that he accepted many failures, including the lack of access to flowing water in Cleveland’s cell.

He pointed out comprehensive evidence that Cleveland did not receive adequate mental health and therapeutic support, training, recreation and “access to clean air”.

“There is a lot of evidence that Cleveland’s needs are not met sufficiently,” he said.

The staff explained the “terrible conditions in which young people are detained” and “chaotic working environment”, some of which are a “war zone”, Urquuhart said, while taking back some evidence.

“Soul-tahrip daily imprisonment orders, the prisoners in their cells, sometimes held a day held 24 hours a day.” He said.

He continued: “They told them about the lack of support and education given to them to do their jobs and told about the shortage of chronic personnel.”

Coroner proved that after the department, he filed a lawsuit for a special investigation and that another lawyer filed a lawsuit for a special investigation for a special investigation because he was beyond the court’s jurisdiction.

The Minister said that more negative findings against the department and individuals would be limited to actions taken at or taken at the unit 18 and will be linked to Cleveland’s death.

For example, Cleveland said that after covering the in -cell observation camera and damage to him in his unit, the staff would be doing.

The investigation previously heard that Cleveland was spontaneously damaged at around 1.35 o’clock.

In 1.51 in the morning, an officer opened the cell door and a red warning was released while the staff was trying to revive the young person at 1.54.

Medical officials arrived at 2.06, but they could not reach Cleveland, who had a heart stop for nine minutes.

The young man was partially revived and taken to hospital, but suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

Cleveland died on 19 October 2023 with his family.

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