Prison staff mistakenly take female inmate to Bathurst ‘crack house’

A teenage offender granted bail was mistakenly dropped off at an alleged Bathurst “ice house” instead of her court approved carers by juvenile justice staff in the latest incident to hit the crisis-ridden system.

A teenage girl was mistakenly dropped off at an alleged “crack house” after being released on bail from juvenile detention.

Staff escorting the teenager failed to check if the premises was an approved address after she directed them there from the centre where she was being held.

The mistake was only realised the next day when the carers who were expecting her phoned to ask where she was.

A review into the incident is under way with a staff member alleging that authorities from Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre, in southwest Sydney, had relied on the girl’s instructions instead of referring to official paperwork.

The worker said: “Staff from Reiby escorted her by car to a residence in Bathurst, but the next day the people who had been expecting her rang the centre to ask where she was.

Juvenile justice staff escorting a girl to Bathurst mistakenly dropped her off at a drug house instead of court-approved carers.

“The staff had relied on the girl’s directions. In short, they dropped her off to a well-known crack house where she used to hang out with her friends to share ice.

“I don’t think the court that signed off on the bail intended for her to be dropped off at the crack house.”

Juvenile Justice NSW assists young offenders to make their way home when they are released, sometimes driving them to an approved address.

However, it is understood some offenders have multiple addresses on record.

The bungle is among a series of incidents within the crisis-ridden system.

In another incident, a teen being held on terror-related charges at Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre on the Central Coast spent almost two days with a fellow inmate refusing to come down from a cricket net following a recreational activity.

Staff were forced to negotiate with the pair before they climbed down, with each now placed on a restrictive behaviour plan.

Another detainee was charged after failing to return to Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre after attending TAFE last month. It is understood the detainee was on the run for three days.

A staff member claimed the teen had displayed changes in his behaviour that should have triggered a review of his activities.

In a separate incident, an 18-year-old detainee who was in custody for aggravated break and enter and robbery armed with offensive weapon was placed in a “prerelease” complex outside the Reiby centre security perimeter. The Waratah Pre-Release Unit is located next door to Airds Primary School.

Inmates protesting at Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre at Wagga Wagga.

A source claimed the teen was moved back into the main centre after claiming he was on an “extremist watch list”.

A spokesman said he was moved to the unit as he had been due for release “within the next three months”.

“As such, he was placed at Waratah prerelease unit to assist in his transition back into the community,” the spokesman said.

The department confirmed the detainee was “later moved from that program”, but did not give a reason. It is understood he is not on a “watch list”.

The incidents come as talks continue between the Public Service Association and the department on the establishment of a new high-risk management strategy to handle problem detainees.

Originally published as Prison staff mistakenly take female inmate to Bathurst ‘crack house’