Queensland has the most children locked behind bars nationwide, with its youth detention system failing to break the “cycle of incarceration” of juvenile offenders.
On March 14, the child death review board criticised Queensland’s youth detention system noting the state also leads the nation in the number of nights young people spend in custody, with 100,425 nights compared to just 44,129 in Victoria.
One boy had spent 80 percent of his time in isolation before his death, while the other spent more than 100 days alone before passing away.
Both experienced separation, which, instead of helping them to behave better, caused problems with reintegration, the report stated.
One was “verbally abusive and kicking the cell door. He said he was triggered by frustration about when he would be let out,” the report said.
He “appeared extremely agitated, and it was clear that [he] was frustrated being in the unit and with minimal activities.”
The boy faced charges of assault and damage in youth detention.
“Youth detention is intended to be a place of rehabilitation. Responding to behavioural incidents in custody with criminal charges further punishes young people who are being triggered by isolation and denial of pro-social services,” according to the report.
Chairman Luke Twyford added that any system failing in its purpose is unacceptable.
High Chance of Young Offenders Reoffending
Data from 2022 affirmed this, noting that over 90 percent of young people released from detention in Queensland between July 2020 and June 2021 committed another offence within the following 12 months.The Board aimed to understand how involvement with the youth justice system contributed to a “negative cycle” for most offenders.
It found staff shortages at the detention centre resulted in isolation and treatment that contradicted the goals of rehabilitation, as was the case for the two boys.
The Board suggested clearer guidance for the youth justice workforce to attract and retain valuable employees who can positively impact young people’s lives through behaviour change.
It also outlined five priority areas and six recommendations to prevent child deaths, focusing on the need to enhance the visibility of at-risk children, reconsider perceptions of the youth justice system, prioritise research on First Nations youth, and strengthen child safety practices.
Meanwhile, the state government is building two new detention centres in Queensland to address concerns over youth crime and capacity shortages.
It follows controversial laws passed in 2023 that permit the use of police watch houses and adult prisons as youth detention centres, bypassing the state’s Human Rights Act.
Overrepresentation, Rise in Offenders, Common Offences
The report revealed 267 Queensland youth aged 10-17 in custody each day in 2022.A further 256 youths were in a detention centre, with 227 in unsentenced detention.
Indigenous children made up 66 percent of those in detention, showing a notable over-representation.
The report states Indigenous youths aged 10-17 are 21 times more likely than non-Indigenous juveniles to be under youth justice supervision and 23 times more likely to be in detention than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
However, all Australian states and territories except the Northern Territory (NT) witnessed an increase in youth offenders during the same time.
The top offences were causing injury and theft.
Nearly half of offenders had stopped school or work, over half experienced domestic violence, a quarter had a parent who had been in jail, and one-third had mental health and behavioural issues, a 2022 survey of over 1600 young offenders found.
