Significant concerns are held for children in contact with Australia’s youth justice system, including those held in custody in adult facilities in Queensland.
A global human rights report has criticised the Queensland government’s tough approach on young offenders and says Australia now has a blemished record due to its treatment of children in contact with the criminal justice system.found roughly 700 children between the ages of 10 and 17 are detained or imprisoned across Australia on any given day, with First Nations children comprising approximately 60 per cent of the prison population.
The HRW report adds to a growing list of concerns for the state’s treatment of young people, with Queensland’s own attorney-general admitting changes to youth justice laws introduced last year wereOne of the key issues raised in the HRW report can be traced back to 2023 when the then-Labor government passed controversial laws
An over-representation of Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander children, many already vulnerable and experiencing significant health complexities and traumatic backgrounds, was also noted., a review of the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville found a severe shortage of staff, leading to children being locked in rooms alone for extended periods of time.
The 31-bed facility was temporarily transformed into a youth detention facility in 2023 but was due to go offline in December and revert to an adult watch house.
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