‘Terrifying': Male inmates still permitted to light up in WA prisons despite fire death
Sam Lynch, 27, died in March 2024 after using a cigarette lighter to set fire to the mattress inside his cell. It took 16 minutes for officers to respond, by which time Lynch was unresponsive and could not be revived.
The incident has laid bare serious safety concerns in WA's prison system. In findings handed down in June, Coroner Michael Jenkin urged the Department of Justice to take 'urgent and decisive action' before another inmate or staff member died from fire-related causes.
'Prisoners and staff at Hakea are exposed to grave and ongoing safety risks for as long as smoking is permitted,' Jenkin wrote, noting the facility lacked automatic fire suppression systems such as sprinklers, which he recommended be installed as a priority.
All other Australian states and territories have already implemented smoking bans across their prison systems. In WA, only female prisons – and some regional shared facilities – are smoke-free.
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After trialling partial bans since 2008, WA eventually committed to a total ban by July 2025. But the timeline has now been pushed out to May 2026.
According to the coroner's report, the department feared potential riots and infrastructure damage if smoking was prohibited before then.
WA Prison Officers' Union secretary Andy Smith said smoking remained deeply embedded in prison culture.
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