Prisoners paid compensation for sleeping on floor amid overcrowding

Prisoners in Western Australian prisons are receiving financial compensation to sleep on the floor due to overcrowding, the ABC has learned. This payment, up to $10.15 per week, is granted to inmates accommodated in alternative sleeping arrangements, such as mattresses on the floor in cramped cells. The Department of Justice confirmed these payments, which vary depending on the level of skill or effort involved in the alternative arrangements.

The overcrowding, described by a Supreme Court Justice as "significant and inhumane," has also led to reduced sentences for criminals convicted of serious offenses. The number of inmates receiving the payment fluctuates daily based on the number of prisoners in alternative sleeping arrangements across the prison system.