WA jails packed with minor offenders TOO many people are in West Australian prisons for defaulting on fines and are costing the taxpayer more than what they owe, the state's opposition says. WA Labor corrective services spokesman Paul Papalia labelled the Barnett government's law and order agenda a farce given overcrowding at the state's jails was at record levels, yet one in seven prisoners over the past five years were fine defaulters. Processing, housing and feeding fine defaulters had cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, he said. "Not only are taxpayers losing revenue from the fines these offenders should be paying, but they are also forking out to accommodate them," Mr Papalia said. Under the Barnett government, fine defaulters are making no form of reparation for their offences but are instead costing taxpayers. Mr Papalia said they could be dealt with much more cheaply in the community, doing work to pay back their fines "rather than sitting in prison watching television at the cost of almost $300 per prisoner per day." More than 5000 were packed into a system designed for 3500, hampering the delivery of programs and intervention to reform prisoners' behaviour, he said. Instead of focussing on serious criminals and trying to change them for the better, the Barnett government is cramming WA's prisons with minor offenders.