In what year did the Royal Commission release its report?
Prison outstations were established as part of the reforms in the 20th century, and to reduce the overcrowding at Fremantle. Pardelup Prison Farm opened in 1927, near Mount Barker, while Barton's Mill, though planned to be a temporary measure, remained open as a prison after World War II.  Significant reform to Western Australia's prison system did not begin until the 1960s, lagging behind those which occurred elsewhere in Australia and the world after World War II. Seven new prisons were opened between 1960 and 1971, and in 1970, female prisoners and staff were moved from Fremantle to the new Bandyup Women's Prison. New legislation regarding probation, parole, and convicted drunkards was also introduced, which provided alternatives to imprisonment. With these new arrangements, and more variety in prisons and prison types, a classification board was set up in 1963 to assess prisoners.
The appointment of Colin Campbell as comptroller general in 1966 fostered substantial changes within Fremantle Prison itself. One of his first changes was to clear the classification committee's backlog of prisoners awaiting assessment. Campbell also established an officer training school, as well as an assessment centre to evaluate new prisoners. Work release and community service programs were also introduced, along with training programs, social workers and welfare officers. Within the midst of Campbell's reforms, the Prisons Department was renamed the Department of Corrections in 1971, restructured, and the position of comptroller general was replaced with director of the department.In 1972 a Royal Commission was appointed to investigate mistreatment of and discrimination against Aboriginal prisoners. Its 1973 report found that there was not "any appreciable discrimination", however, racial stereotypes are present throughout the report, and the testimony of Aboriginal prisoners was considered unreliable. The report also made recommendations regarding various aspects of prison life, including additional, independent, trained welfare officers.William Kidston succeeded Campbell in 1977, and oversaw a shift in policy from "paternalistic rehabilitation" of prisoners to merely providing opportunities for rehabilitation. A new Prisons Act was passed in 1981, which updated the 1903 Act with modern philosophies and practices. This act was, however, slanted towards prisoner management and safety, and the department was at the same time renamed the Prisons Department once more, to emphasise imprisonment as its primary responsibility. Ian Hill became Director of the Prisons Department in 1983, and reorganised the department several times, striving for increased efficiency. Whilst the changes of the 1980s were effective throughout most of Western Australia's prison system, the culture of Fremantle Prison was resistant to change. Growing prisoner discontent eventually culminated in the 1988 prison riot, investigated by an official enquiry later that year.
1973