00:00When Mr. Beck came into his role as the Deputy Commissioner for Women and Young People in
00:082020, he said he noticed that Banksy Hill wasn't necessarily being run according to
00:12its policy and procedure. Mr. Beck, who'd worked in corrective services for decades,
00:17said he noticed the use of coercive control and high use of force, more so actually than
00:24in adult prisons. He added that Banksy Hill was in fact being run more like an adult prison
00:29than a juvenile facility. According to his testimony, when Mr. Beck attempted to change
00:34the culture, he was met with some resistance from several members of influential figures,
00:40which included the then-Superintendent Michael Heslington. Mr. Beck broke down on the stand
00:46when recalling incidents in which Mr. Heslington had made inappropriate and degrading comments
00:52to young people. One example that he gave to the court was when Mr. Heslington told
00:56a young man that had been excited about getting out and getting a job that he didn't stand
01:01a chance and would be back in an adult prison within a week. He said that there was a reason
01:06why every other jurisdiction in Australia had youth justice separate from adult corrective
01:12services and he said that was because the amalgamation of the two, like what is done
01:17in WA, just overlays adult responses onto children's needs. So he supported the recommendation
01:24put forward by other experts earlier in the inquest that the two areas need to be separated
01:29to drive positive change in the system.
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