Police insider flags concern about Cairns lock up becoming kid jail
Cairns police have requested greater detail about how the busiest watch house in the state will be staffed following an official move to turn police lock ups into youth prisons.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Cairns police have demanded to know how the busiest watch house in the state will be staffed following an official move to turn police lock ups into youth prisons.
Authorities will now be allowed to hold children in watch houses indefinitely, under new laws that override human rights law protecting children put forward by Police Minister Mark Ryan.
The temporary fix to overcrowded juvenile detention centres will be “time-limited” and will expire at the end of 2026, by which time a youth jail proposed for the Edmonton area will be built.
The move has been slammed by the youth service advocacy industry who in an unprecedented response issued a statement on behalf of a host of indigenous health providers and prisoner rights groups.
YETI Cairns also co-signed the statement calling on the government to roll back the overriding of children’s human rights.
“We are appalled that the government has decided to override the Human Rights Act, when this practice has been widely criticised by law experts, human rights groups and children’s advocates,” the statement read.
“It’s an attack on vulnerable children, who are predominantly aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and it is only going to make the situation worse. These are the children that will be pipelined into adult prisons, and what we will see is more problems.
YETI chief executive Genevieve Sinclair said most people calling for change to the youth justice system knew rehabilitation was the answer to reducing recidivism rates.
“People understand that what is needed is better rehabilitation, not watch houses,” she said.
“The police understand this, victims groups understand this, it’s the government which is not listening.
“We know that some young people do need to be contained but the watch house is the wrong place to do it.
“They need to be in a therapeutic environment where they can have access to treatment, mental health programs and school.”
Most months last year the Cairns watch house held more prisoners than the Brisbane police lock up and in the 12 months to September last year 788 youths had been detained at the Sheridan St facility.
Concerns about staffing ratios, access to schooling, healthcare and mental health services have been raised.
Within the Cairns watch house child and adult wings are divided but its understood prisoners are in such close proximity that voices of inmates in both wings can be heard throughout the facility.
Though no formal guidelines are in place, the Cairns watch house is currently staffed at a ratio of about one staff member for every 11 inmates, compared with a ratio of 1:4 at dedicated juvenile correctional facilities such as the John Oxley in Brisbane and the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville.
“They have changed it by name but they have to change it by conduct, it’s interesting times ahead,” a police officer said.
“You can’t just change the name and not put the assets in there.
“It is the most stressful part of the job and the highest risk managing prisoners in there and what is supplied to the corrections officer’s we need for our officers.”
The National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds expressed alarm at the Queensland Government rushing through legislation to allow children to be detained indefinitely in adult detention facilities, in a further contravention of the Queensland Human Rights Act.
“Police watch houses are not appropriate for children,” she said.
“The police officers are not trained to care for children, and there is no education or rehabilitation provided.
“There is no access to fresh air or exercise, and many cells have no window for natural light. “Children as young as 10 years of age are being detained for many weeks in these shocking conditions.
“Surely this is a sign of something seriously wrong, this is a system in crisis.”
The Opposition’s Andrew Powell joined with the Greens and KAP leader Robbie Katter to condemn the move.
Taking issue with a lack of scrutiny and no debate on the move to override human rights laws, the Glass House MP described the emergency law changes as an “affront to democracy.”
“This egregious breach of Parliamentary process cannot go unchecked, which is why the LNP Opposition cannot support this amended Bill,” he said.
“Ramming major, unrelated legislation through as an amendment, is nothing more than a dirty political plan.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan said from the floor of parliament on Wednesday that the repealing of human rights law protecting children was to be actioned in “extraordinary circumstances” and was time-limited until new purpose-built detention infrastructure at Woodford and Cairns is up and running.
“It will ensure that immediate capacity issues can be addressed while young people are held safely,” he said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Police insider flags concern about Cairns lock up becoming kid jail
Fire services called to beaches house fire overnight
Firefighters were called to a suburban house blaze late last night in the Cairns northern beaches.
Cairns health professionals unhappy with fluoride survey
Health professionals from Cairns are collectively calling for greater community consultation on water fluoridisation, stating council surveying of 6 per cent of residents “doesn’t cut it.”