Central Australian community leaders say the NT government's youth prison reshuffle is a repeat of past injustices and could lead to more crime.
Shanaya McAdam-Bray says the relocation of young people from the Alice Springs detention centre to a new Darwin youth prison will perpetuate cycles of crime.Central Australian community leaders are warning plans to permanently transfer children in custody from Alice Springs to a new Darwin youth prison will further traumatise them and lead to reoffending.
Lawyers say the transfer of female inmates from Alice Springs to Darwin could impede access to legal services for vulnerable prisoners. "If we want to fix anti-social behaviour, this "youth crime", we need to take a step back and fix the core issue. "Taking you away from your country, your community, your family, your support group, your language, your identity ... the effects on the children are going to be lifelong and lasting," he said."The government should actually support those families in remote communities, in those town camps the way they should have done years ago."
"We refuse to stand by and watch young people in detention suffer further trauma," the CAYJ spokesperson said. "Many young people held in these settings have complex health needs, including mental health issues, neurodevelopmental conditions, and substance dependence," chief executive Dr John Paterson said in the statement.
Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre Children's Ground William Tilmouth Shanaya Mcadam-Bray Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT John Paterson Gerard Maley Central Australian Youth Justice
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