Restraint chairs to be banned in Northern Territory youth justice facilities

THE image of convicted youth offender Dylan Voller hooded and bound to a chair shocked Australia to its core and prompted PM Malcolm Turnbull to call a royal commission into youth justice in the Territory

THE image of convicted youth offender Dylan Voller hooded and bound to a chair shocked Australia to its core and prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to call a royal commission into youth justice in the Territory.

Now the “mechanical restraint device” used to shackle Voller will soon be outlawed.

NT Families Minister Dale Wakefield introduced the legislation to Parliament yesterday.

As well as banning restraint chairs, the amendment will prohibit the use of handcuffs, ankle cuffs, and waist-restraining belts on children, except with the consent of the Commissioner of Correctional Services.

The amended bill will allow use of these “approved restraints” only as a last resort.

“It’s clear within the bill that if someone is going to self harm there needs to be some action taken, but I have to say the intention of the legislation is that restraint is used as least as possible, and only when deemed by the staff member as absolutely necessary,” Ms Wakefield said.

All decisions by the Commissioner regarding the use of those devices will be made publicly available.

Ms Wakefield also flagged another review and overhaul of the Youth Justice Act.

She said she expected a draft of the rewritten youth justice act to be complete by the end of next year.

She dismissed suggestions the chairs were the safest way to restrain violent youths.

“There is very clear international and Australian best-practice advice that this is not the best type of restraint for young people,” she said.

“We’ll continue to work with staff to make sure the best-practice outcomes are occurring within our youth detention centre(s).”

A temporary ban on the use of the restraint chairs was put in place by then-chief minister Adam Giles in July after the Four Corners program detailing mistreatment of child detainees was aired.

This new legislation will make that ban permanent.

Ms Wakefield said the use of spit hoods such as those used to cover Voller’s face were not covered by the Youth Justice Act and had been removed by the previous government from Territory youth detention facilities.

Opposition Leader Gary Higgins said he supported the move to remove restraint chairs from the juvenile justice system.