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https://theconversation.com/locking-up-young-people-might-make-you-feel-safer-but-it-doesnt-work-now-or-in-the-long-term-237742>
"The treatment of Australia’s children and young people is back on the national
agenda.
The inquest into the death of 16-year-old Yamatji boy Cleveland Dodd in
Casuarina Prison has unveiled systemic failings in the Western Australian
government’s management of youth justice. The former head of the Department of
Justice deemed it “institutional abuse”.
Late last week, another 17-year-old boy was reported to have died in WA’s
Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
In Queensland, the Inspector of Detention Services recently reported children
and young people at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre were spending extended
periods (more than 20 hours) in solitary confinement, either in their rooms or
in designated separation rooms with no toilet, no running water and no
furniture. Six young people were in “separation” for more than 71 consecutive
days.
If there is a sense of déjà vu, it’s because we have been here many times
before. These problems have been endemic to imprisoning children and young
people throughout Australia for at least the past decade and a half.
And yet, we’ve seen political attempts to curb youth crime by lowering the age
of criminal responsibility and putting more young people behind bars. Time and
evidence have shown us while these messages appeal to the public’s genuine
desire for safety, they don’t make us any safer at all."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
