Grim reality of Qld’s youth watch house hell laid bare

Children held in windowless police watch house cells are experiencing “full breakdowns”, with human rights commissioners revealing grim scenes of shocking diets and well-meaning police officers who are receiving no training to deal with juveniles.

Children held in windowless police watch house cells are experiencing “full breakdowns”, with human rights commissioners revealing grim scenes of diets almost exclusively made up of fast food, while well-meaning police officers are receiving no training to deal with juveniles.

But a lack of housing options overall and child safety resourcing on weekends is forcing lawyers to keep their young clients behind bars for longer than necessary, even if bail is granted.

An inquiry into the state’s youth crime crisis, on day three of hearings in Brisbane, exposed the alarming conditions faced by children at each turn of the criminal justice process — including in the watch house and being locked up for 23 hours at a time in prisons.

And witnesses, including Legal Aid Queensland, revealed many young offenders are kept in custody because there are no suitable housing options with some children losing their spots — obtained through a guardianship order — when they get locked up.

National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollands has described being “truly horrified” by the conditions. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollands, who has in recent months visited children in Queensland watch houses and detention centres, said conditions in watch houses were “much worse” than in prisons.

She described being “truly horrified” by the conditions, including children being held for days or weeks in cells with no windows, natural light, or opportunities for fresh air. Queensland is the only jurisdiction which uses watch houses to hold children for length periods.

Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall said the “preferred food supplier” at the Ipswich watch house was chicken chain Red Rooster, with children made to eat it for lunch and dinner with a cornflakes, milk and juice reprieve for breakfast.

“Imagine the impact of that diet has on behaviour. Let alone the psychological damage,” he said.

Mr McDougall said during his visit children were being held for about 10 days on average.

At the Brisbane watch house, police described to Mr McDougall how generally after two or three days there would be a noticeable difference in the behaviour of the child.

Brisbane watch house

“(It) started to really impact on them psychologically, and then at about day eight, nine or 10 they will actually experience a full breakdown,” he said.

“So there would have to be a serious question about whether there is perhaps even permanent, psychological harm … to those children who are subjected to prolonged detention.”

Legal Aid Queensland assistant director for youth legal aid David Law said he was regularly, when asking the court to grant his young client bail, to keep them in until Monday as it was in “their best interests” not to be released on a weekend to no child safety support.

Mr Law also revealed the lack of accommodation itself was not meant to be a reason to keep a child in custody, but that was a “simplistic view” and the reality was many children behind bars have nowhere to go.

He called for an overhaul in the way different parts of the system, particularly child safety and mental health, come together so a child leaving detention does not return to a vacuum of support which just ultimately encourage reoffending.

Originally published as Grim reality of Qld’s youth watch house hell laid bare