The family of a young Noongar man who died in Hakea Prison was not allowed to hold a vigil for him near the prison on Thursday evening, despite receiving approval from authorities three weeks earlier.

Ricky Lee Cound, 22, died in Hakea on 25 March this year.

His mother Laura Cound said she had repeatedly contacted the prison in the lead up to his death because of concerns for his welfare.

On Thursday evening Ms Cound was joined by friends and family who planned a vigil and smoking ceremony outside Hakea but were told they could not do it in the vicinity of the prison.

Photo provided by Laura Cound. Hakea Prison in the distance.

"Three weeks ago, we got permission," she said.

"I went there with my friend Evonne and when we got there, they had the tent up, and they told me to go outside the boundary of the prison grounds."

A Department of Justice if spokesperson claimed the vigil had gone ahead "without incident".

"The Department of Justice approved a request from Ms Laura Cound to conduct a candlelight vigil at Hakea Prison on Thursday, 28 July," he said.

"Ms Cound was allocated an appropriate site for the vigil close to the prison.

"Given organisers estimated that 30-40 people would attend, the location was chosen to minimise disruption to the prison's operations during a staff shift change."

Ms Cound said on arrival they were told they could stand "in the bush" outside a fence.

"All I wanted to do was a smoking ceremony and a vigil," she said.

"I went there with good intentions, for healing and peace."

Mr Cound's partner, Bethany McShane, said her mother had assisted in getting permission to hold a vigil for Ricky.

"(Assistant Commissioner Custodial Operations) Susan Rowley asked my mum and Laura to write a letter to send to the prison, and told us to reply to their email and follow their rules and we did," she said.

"She then said they had approved us having it there in the spot we wanted, and doing what we wanted to do.

"When we arrived, where they wanted us to do it was not anywhere near the prison."

An email seen by National Indigenous Times from Ms Rowley to Ms McShane's mother appears to confirm the family and authorites had come to an arrangement.

In it, the assistant commissioner said she hoped the vigil would bring some peace and that

Laura Cound with a photograph of her son Ricky after the attempted vigil and smoking ceremony.

she would "arrange things at her end".

Ms McShane said about eight prison officers were lined up with the road into the prison area blocked from the second carpark onwards when Ms Cound arrived at 4pm.

"They did not care what the email said and what we had been told," she said.

"We wanted to be near the place where he passed away.

"It was raining and they wouldn't allow us under the shelter, they expected us to light candles in the rain."

Ms Cound said "all the other broken families" who had lost loved ones should be allowed to hold ceremonies.

"With deaths in custody, you hear about it once in the media and it is never talked about again. But not for us," she said.

Mr Cound died shortly after he had been transferred to Hakea from Acacia prison.

After a riot in Acacia on February 27, advocates alongside two Aboriginal Acacia staff members and a number of prisoners' family members, had met with a Serco representative and raised concerns about conditions in the prison, urging greater transparency and the creation of a wellbeing hotline for prisoners' relatives.