Escaped WA inmates posed low risk

Two inmates who escaped from a Perth disability justice centre are due for release this year and posed a low risk to the public, the state Disability Services Commission says.

The pair absconded from the Lockridge facility on New Year's Eve, with one caught by police the next day and the other returned to the centre by his parents on Sunday.

West Australian Disability Services Commission director general Ron Chalmers said the purpose of the centre was to reintegrate people into society, with one of the escapees already permitted to be in the community for 80 per cent of the week.

"They have been assessed thoroughly by the Mentally Impaired Accused Review Board to the point where they currently are on leave of absence provisions with extensive opportunities for them to be out in the community right now," Dr Chalmers told 6PR radio.

The centre houses people who have been accused, but not convicted, of a crime and have been deemed unfit to plead because of their disability.

The escape has outraged some residents and the opposition who have demanded the centre be closed for a full security review.

But Mental Health Advocacy Service chief advocate Debora Colvin said the inmates needed community support and protection - not vilification.

"If the centre is closed down, there is no way that another centre will be built any time soon given the economic climate," Ms Colvin said.

"It will mean that these very vulnerable people, who have not in fact been convicted of a crime, will be back in prison with no end date for their release."

Disability Services Minister Helen Morton will meet with concerned community members on Wednesday.