During the coronial inquest into the death of Cleveland Dodd - the first juvenile death in detention in Western Australia - it has been revealed corrections staff were watching movies while detainees were confined to their cells in the troubled youth wing of an adult prison.

Cleveland Dodd, a 16-year-old, was found unresponsive in his cell in Casuarina Prison's Unit 18 on October 12, 2023, after causing harm to himself.

Prior to being discovered by youth custodial officer Daniel Torrijos and taken to hospital, Cleveland had made eight threats to self-harm.

He passed away in hospital eight days later.

On Monday Mr Torrijos told the coroner it was common for staff to watch movies and other programs while working night shift.

"It was something you did. It helped you stay awake," he said.

"Occasionally late in the night I might attempt to watch a movie."

The experienced officer said he had never received any instructions prohibiting him from watching television during his working hours.

He clarified he only engaged in this activity during his free time and did not do so on the night when Cleveland harmed himself due to the high workload that evening.

During the inquiry, it was revealed Mr Torrijos had previously been investigated and disciplined for not fulfilling his duties properly on seven occasions approximately two years ago.

When questioned about these findings, Mr Torrijos explained he was overwhelmed with work and it was unrealistic to expect him to accomplish the extensive number of tasks assigned to him.

The inquiry found Mr Torrijos was unaware of Unit 18's behaviour standards and management policies, as well as the individual engagement plans for some detainees. He was also not informed Cleveland had been denied bail earlier in the day, despite the teenager expressing suicidal intentions multiple times.

Normally Mr Torrijos would have received this information, however on that particular night, he was not briefed.

During proceedings Coroner Phil Urquhart was informed that Kyle Mead-Hunter, the manager of Unit 18 on the night Cleveland harmed himself, had also faced disciplinary action in the weeks leading up to the incident, although specific details were not disclosed.

In the early hours of morning of Cleveland's death, CCTV footage showed Mr Torrijos looking into Cleveland's cell and finding him unresponsive at around 1:50am. He then left to get keys and returned to the cell about 90 seconds later.

He explained that he moved as quickly as his arthritic knees allowed. While getting the keys, he informed senior custodial officer Kyle Mead-Hunter that "Cleveland's f****** hanging."

The inquiry also heard Mr Mead-Hunter quickly prepared for action and walked to Cleveland's cell with his hands in his pockets.

Mr Torrijos, who began his testimony on Friday, highlighted the unliveable conditions of Unit 18's cells, noting extensive un-repaired damage such as exposed wires, broken toilets and damaged showers.

Additionally, it was revealed Mr Torrijos assisted Cleveland in writing a letter to his father, who is currently incarcerated at Greenough Regional Prison.

However the letter was never received by the father and was instead presented at the inquest, where Mr Urquhart directly addressed Cleveland's father - who was watching the proceedings via video link - assuring him that the letter would be passed on to him.

In his previous testimony Mr Torrijos recounted a series of mishaps that affected the troubled unit on the night he discovered Cleveland motionless in his cell.

Among these incidents was his failure to bring a radio with him when he went to check on Cleveland, a violation of the Department of Justice policy that resulted in his inability to communicate with the control room.

Furthermore, the main prison radio in the unit was turned off, causing both inmates and staff to be unaware of a scheduled power outage at the facility.

The inquest continues.