Warning; this story contains the name and image of a person who has died.

Amnesty International Australia says WA Premier Roger Cook and Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia "ignored repeated warnings" that the children incarcerated at Unit 18 experience "intolerable levels of distress, putting their safety at risk".

The group expressed "horror and sorrow" on Friday at the death in custody of 16 year-old Cleveland Dodd, who was being held on remand at Unit 18, the youth unit at the Casuarina maximum security adult prison.

Cleveland has been named with the permission of his family.

Amnesty noted that there have been more than 500 incidents of young people attempting suicide or self-harm in WA's juvenile detention system over the past two years.

Unit 18 began operating in July 2022, and Banksia Hill Detention Centre serves as the main youth detention facility.

Palawa Elder and Amnesty International Indigenous Rights spokesperson Uncle Rodney Dillon said the organisation extends its "deepest sympathy to the family and community grieving the loss of this young boy".

"We mourn with you and are committed to fighting alongside you for justice," he said.

"The death of this Aboriginal child was entirely preventable. The blood of this Aboriginal child stains the hands of former Labor Premier Mark McGowan, Premier Roger Cook and the Attorney General John Quigley. They were told over and over that locking children in Unit 18 places them in acute danger, but refused to act.

"Make no mistake, if this was a white child the Premier would resign in shame and disgrace today. Australia's racist history tells us that there will be no consequences for the WA government who oversaw the preventable death in custody of this Aboriginal child.

"Earlier this month, Premier Cook said locking up Aboriginal children in the Casuarina adult prison was a 'necessary evil'. I say to Premier Cook, is the death of an Aboriginal child a 'necessary evil' to you?

"The WA government must invest in long-term solutions that address the key drivers of violence in children in consultation with their families and communities, especially the well-being and mental health of young Aboriginal kids and it can start by diverting the millions of dollars spent on maintaining the youth detention centres into Aboriginal community-led diversion programs that actually work."

Noongar legal and human rights expert Dr Hannah McGlade told National Indigenous Times there must be "a commitment to working with Aboriginal justice leaders to turn this shocking situation around".

"The death of a child in the circumstances was foreseeable and the state was warned that solitary confinement was so dangerous and prohibited under UN law for that reason. They did not listen," she said.

"It's horrific that a child has lost his life as a result of the apathy and negligence of state agencies towards our most vulnerable children. The treatment of children has even been declared unlawful by the Supreme Court and yet they continue with it.

"A Youth justice commissioner should be appointed, sitting with Justice (the Department) but reporting directly to the Minister, this is necessary now.

"We need to repeal the mandatory detention laws giving judges no discretion but to incarcerate for often minor property offenses. And raise the age (of criminal responsibility). And stop incarcerating children on remand, why should they be incarcerated when they haven't been convicted? Incarcerated in cruel inhumane conditions."

Dr McGlade said Western Australia is violating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"I've called on Australia to sign the Optional Protocol and remove its reservation as advised by theUN Committee, this reservation prohibits children from being placed in adult detention facilities. Respect the rights of Aboriginal children, why is it so hard?"

National Indigenous Times contacted the Western Australian government for a response to these specific comments and calls for reform. The office of Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia directed National Indigenous Times to a recording of a press conference the Minister gave earlier on Friday.

"By the time the Corrective Services world encounters these juveniles they've had a life of tragedy," the Minister said.

"There are relatively few juveniles detained in Western Australia and they are detained by the court because they are considered unsafe in the community. They have to be detained and we have to make that detention as safe and effective as possible, and I am focused on achieving that."

Amnesty International noted it has repeatedly called on the WA government to close the Banksia Hill youth detention centre and the Unit 18 compound at Casuarina maximum security adult prison.

In 2021, 30 countries of the United Nations Human Rights Council came together to condemn the human rights violations Australia perpetrates against children in detention centres and prisons.

In February this year, the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) was forced to cancel its visit to Australia after the NSW and QLD state governments denied the independent human rights authority access to inspect prison and detention facilities. The only other country in the world that has had OPCAT cancel a visit is Rwanda.

In January 2023, Australia missed the deadline to implement its commitments to the OPCAT convention. OPCAT was then forced to cancel its planned visit to inspect Australia's prison and detention facilities as the body was denied access to facilities for inspection.

In 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council called on Australia to immediately end its incarceration of children under 14 and condemned Australia's human rights atrocities perpetrated against children in youth detention.

In early 2018 Amnesty International called for the Intensive Support Unit at Banksia Hill to be immediately closed pending investigation, following serious allegations of abuse of young people which may amount to torture. Amnesty has consistently called for an end to the use of solitary confinement.

In December 2017, Australia ratified the OPCAT, which is designed to protect the rights, health and safety of people in any kind of detention including in prisons, youth detention centres, immigration detention, hospital, aged care and disability facilities.

In July 2017 the suffering endured by children in Banksia Hill was revealed following findings from the Inspector of Custodial Services including the use of spit hoods, solitary confinement, alleged sexual assault, and soaring rates of self-harm and attempted suicide.