First look inside Alice Springs’ new ‘high-tech’ youth detention centre
Chief Minister Eva Lawler took a tour of the newly refurbished Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre on Wednesday. See what it’s like on the inside.
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
“World class”, “high-tech” and “inclusive” are not words traditionally associated with the Territory’s youth justice system but that’s how the NT government is spruiking its newest detention centre in Alice Springs.
Chief Minister Eva Lawler and Territory Families Minister Ngaree Ah Kit toured the revamped, “state of the art”, 22-bed facility on Wednesday, ahead of its final fit-out.
Ms Lawler said the new design, including health, rehabilitation, counselling and education facilities for young detainees, was “a really important part of the puzzle of youth detention and our whole youth justice system”.
“I know the community expects there to be strong consequences for young people who do the wrong thing in the Territory and this is an important part of that puzzle,” she said
“But part of that puzzle is also making sure that young people that do he wrong thing, that find themselves (here) also are then on a pathway to a better life.
“It is about making sure that young people who are here get the education, the training, the pathways to jobs, the pathways to working in the NT.
“So if you are a young person who finds themself (here) we need to make sure that that is an opportunity to turn your life around and get you then to being a successful citizen, a healthy citizen, a great young person in the NT.”
Ms Ah Kit said the new centre would give young troublemakers “the opportunity to learn from their mistakes” while “holding them to account for their offending”.
“The redeveloped Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre has been co-designed to ensure that young detainees have access to the health and education services that they need,” she said.
“As well as other therapeutic and rehabilitative programs to help them make better decisions for their journey outside of this centre.”
NT Children’s Commissioner Shahleena Musk said she looked forward to the “more therapeutic model of care” being rolled out to all the Territory’s youth detention facilities.
“While detention must be used as a last resort for children, the upgrades to this facility are important to ensuring young people from Central Australia who are detained can stay connected to family and community,” she said.
“It is important that children can access the right care and supports including health, education and therapeutic programs without having to be sent thousands of kilometres away to Darwin.”
Opposition youth justice spokesman Bill Yan welcomed the milestone as “a long time coming” but questioned whether it would be fit for purpose “five, 10, 15 years down the track”.
“We’ve seen more and more young people ending up in our youth detention centres so the question I now have is: Is this facility going to be big enough?” he said.
“And now are those kids going to have to be transferred to Darwin and be away from their families (again) because the facility here is not going to have the capacity to deal with what we’re seeing in our community?”
More Coverage
‘Urgent’ calls to review Native Title
Coalition senators are expected to renew their calls to grill Aboriginal Corporations and Land Councils in the Federal parliament this week.
Wild wasp chase leads to unexpected discovery for photographers
A two year wait after a wild wasp chase in the Northern Territory has ended for a pair of wildlife photographers, who have received confirmation they have discovered a new species. Find out more.