Youth gang members cheat the system to order attacks from detention centres

Juvenile gang members are contacting each other from inside Queensland’s youth detention centres to orchestrate attacks against fellow prisoners and staff, it can be revealed, cheating the system to do it.

Juvenile gang members are contacting each other from inside Queensland’s youth detention centres to orchestrate attacks against fellow prisoners and staff, it can be revealed.

Detainees are entitled to 120 minutes of phone call time per week to make calls to contacts on a pre-approved list, but have been caught cheating the system by using three-way conference calls, allowing them to connect with associates both inside and outside of detention centres.

Documents attached to youth crime legislation proposed to parliament earlier this month state officers have “identified circumstances where offences are being committed or the safety of other detainees or staff are being compromised via phone calls”.

Those offences included breaching domestic violence orders, intimidation of witnesses and communicating with prisoners in other units within the detention centre or units within external detention centres.

Officers also identified instances where calls were made while detainees on the other end of the line committed offences or carried out attacks.

Special intelligence officers have been made to study the different gang members in order to separate them to keep detainees and workers safe.

The Brisbane Youth Detention Centre at Wacol. New youth crime laws mean detention workers can monitor calls. Picture: Glenn Hunt/Getty Images

New youth crime legislation introduced this month proposed expanding the rights of detention workers to monitor the calls, allowing evidence of criminal activity or other threats to safety to be passed onto the police.

Australian Worker’s Union Queensland secretary Stacey Schinnerl said the union supported the proposed phone monitoring due to reported frequent conflict between detainees who were “coordinating attacks” on prisoners and staff.

Australian Workers Union secretary Stacey Schinnerl.

“There is often conflict between young people in youth detention, and staff work hard to strategically separate detainees to avoid violence,” she said.

“There is a significant health and safety risk posed to our members by young people in different sections or centres coordinating attacks on staff or other young people via telephone.

“We believe this proposal will help keep our members safe.”

A Youth Justice department spokesman claimed the issue was uncommon, but said the proposed legislation changes were necessary.

“The issue is not common, but it is a serious one that requires legislative remedy to ensure suspected criminal behaviour occurring via conference calls can be referred to the Queensland Police Service,” he said.

“It is a young person’s fundamental right in a youth detention centre to make phone calls to a list of pre-approved contacts including family, support services, legal representatives etc.

“Young people having contact with these supports further supports their rehabilitation.”