Annual reports rarely contain self-criticism. In September 2024, after the deaths of two young people in WA youth detention, Inspector Eamon Ryan wrote that his office's reports had for over ten years highlighted problems in youth detention, and that "Publication of these issues ultimately did not lead to the systemic reforms necessary to prevent such a tragic outcome." Then: "We all must accept some level of responsibility for these outcomes, and I include myself in this. I have constantly asked myself whether we could have done more or advocated harder for change. Ultimately, others will form their own view on this question."
Sources: OICS Annual Report 2023-24 p 2; OICS media release, Review of youth custody: Follow-up to 2023 Inspection (Part Two), 19 December 2024.