CALLS FOR TRANSPARENCY FOLLOW TEENAGER'S DEATH IN CUSTODY

Inside Unit 18. Credit: Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services.

BY GERARD MAZZA

Readers and listeners are warned this story contains the name and story of a person who has passed away.

Social justice advocate Gerry Georgatos has called for transparency in the wake of the death of a 16-year-old boy in custody in Western Australia.

Cleveland Dodd died in hospital on Thursday after being found unresponsive the week prior in his cell in the Unit 18 youth detention facility, housed within Casuarina adult prison.

Mr Georgatos was present when the teenager passed away and has been supporting the grieving family.

The advocate says frequent lockdowns in Western Australia’s youth justice system are highly unsafe.

“This young boy, he was 23 hours in the cell in Unit 18 out of 24 hours, day, after day, after day,” he said.

“There was something that happened on the inside, alleged altercation between staff and young one. It needs to all unfold. There needs to be some transparency at long last of what occurs and what occurred, in particular, in this boy’s life.”

Listen to the full interview with Mr Georgatos:

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