COMPREHENSIVE standards for the treatment of Aboriginal inmates at the Eastern Goldfields Prison and three other regional prisons in Western Australia have been released.

The outgoing Inspector of Custodial Services, Professor Richard Harding released the standards this week, nothing that Aboriginals comprise three per cent of the general population and 43 per cent of the prisoner population.

"This disproportionate level of Aboriginal imprisonment has got to the stage where it seems to be taken for granted and no longer challenged at governmental level and in the public perception. But truly it is unacceptable,” Professor Harding said.

“However, my Office cannot directly influence imprisonment patterns. What it can do is to take account of the knowledge gained over eight years and 55 inspections that tells us that the prison experience is different for Aboriginals than for non-Aboriginals.

“In the development of prison regimes Aboriginals have, as in many other ways, been evaluated against white society, rather than their culture and needs being assessed against their own standards.

“Progressively, my Office has built Aboriginal-sensitive standards into its own expectations of prison management, and the point has now been reached where we can draw these matters together into a single document."

Professor Harding emphasized that four prisons – Broome, Roebourne, Eastern Goldfields and Greenough – are overwhelmingly Aboriginal in population.

In more recent years, the Inspector's office has switched its attention to the positive needs of Aboriginal prisoners, whether imprisoned in "Aboriginal prisons" or in the major Metropolitan secure prisons or elsewhere.

“This, above all, is the focus of the new Standards,” he said.

“Though there are special issues such as staffing profiles and cultural awareness training that are especially relevant to the situation in 'Aboriginal prisons'.”

The new Standards comprise 42 principal standards and 140 distinct elements and are accessible at www.custodialinspector.wa.gov.au – click "Publications and Resources ", then click "Standards for Aboriginal Prisoners".