The mother of Cleveland Dodd — the first young person in WA to die in youth detention — says Premier Roger Cook supports shutting down Unit 18.

"He made clear that he wants Unit 18 closed — that it must be closed — but until there is somewhere safe for the children to go, he has to work urgently to improve the conditions within it," Nadene Dodd told National Indigenous Times after meeting with the Premier.

"He committed to doing so."

Ms Dodd met with Mr Cook and youth justice advocate Gerry Georgatos this week, following the coronial inquest which recommended the unit's closure as a matter of urgency.

Cleveland died on 19 October 2023 at the age of 16.

The Yamatji boy had spent a week on life support after a self-harm incident inside Unit 18, the youth facility operating within Casuarina Prison, a maximum-security adult jail 35 kilometres south of Boorloo/Perth.

Inquest documents show that on 74 of the 86 days he was held in Unit 18, Cleveland was confined for nearly the entire day, with minimal access to programs or time outdoors.

Shortly after midnight on 12 October, he told staff via the intercom that he intended to take his own life. Officers told him not to say such things. A CCTV camera in his cell had been covered with toilet paper since mid-afternoon and had not been cleared.

About 13 minutes after his warning to staff, he was found unresponsive and later taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Public records show Cleveland had already experienced prolonged confinement at Banksia Hill and Unit 18 in the months leading up to his death.

In September a State Government infrastructure report revealed a long-promised new youth detention facility at Banksia Hill will not be ready until 2028 — a delay Mr Georgatos labelled "another betrayal" by the state's Department of Justice.

The 30-bed facility was announced in the 2022 by the McGowan Government.

Nadene said the Premier also promised ongoing updates on reforms to the youth justice system.

"I was given a commitment that Cleveland's memory will be a catalyst for reform that should have existed long ago," she said.

"He honoured his promise to meet me, and he treated Cleveland's memory with the dignity my son deserved."

Mr Georgatos echoed her remarks, describing the Premier as "a good human being with a long-held social justice ethos". But he said responsibility now rests with Mr Cook to act quickly.

"Roger has the opportunity — and the responsibility — to deliver the youth justice outcomes he has long known should have been in place," he said.

"For more than a quarter century I have fought for Banksia Hill, and for the closure of all punitive children's prisons in this nation. What we need is not containment but life-transformative, restorative, nurturing environments built on validation, education, support and strong post-custody pathways."

Coroner Philip Urquhart also called for a "special inquiry" into how the notorious Unit 18 facility originally came into operation.