School’s (finally) in for juveniles in crowded watchhouses

As the Premier orders department bosses to find more beds to get juveniles out of overcrowded watchhouses, the Corrective Services Minister has clarified why he misspoke on the issue.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has ordered department bosses to find more beds to get juveniles out of overcrowded watchhouses.

The move comes as the Government admitted that juveniles in remand only got access to teachers and teacher aides last week, contradicting a statement last month that the service had already started.

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Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan told State Parliament yesterday that his earlier comments about the level of education services in watchhouses were based on advice from the youth justice department that proved to be wrong.

“Some of that advice was correct — in that there were some education services and materials available to young offenders in the watchhouses — and some of it wasn’t,” he said.

“It is correct now that there are teachers and teacher aides in the watchhouses, and that’s providing the appropriate level of support to those young people who are in custody.”

Mr Ryan said the teachers started education programs in watchhouses on March 21 following a joint risk assessment.

Queensland Minister for Police and Minister for Corrective Services, Mark Ryan is seen speaking during Question Time at Queensland Parliament House in Brisbane, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING

The Courier-Mail revealed last month that frustrated police were complaining of babysitting children in packed watch houses because the Government had failed to plan for new laws treating 17-year-olds as juveniles.

Queensland’s juvenile detention centres are near capacity, and extra police were doing daily overtime shifts to care for the influx of children sitting in watch houses.

Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday more beds were coming online to reduce juvenile overcrowding in watchhouses.

“At the moment I have got my director-general working with the other heads of department,” she said.

“We have got more beds coming on board at Cleveland this week. There’s extra capacity coming on at the Brisbane Detention Centre.

“Fundamentally we need to make sure that there is a response fitting for those youth offenders and that involves that they get access to education services.”