Cairns youth jail: Sisters Inside fight against new correctional facility

Plans to build a Far North youth jail have been slammed as a vote-winning tactic that would lead to increased property crime by a prison rights group in Cairns to protest the proposed facility.

A proposal to build a new Cairns youth correctional facility has been slammed as a vote-winning tactic that would lead to increased property crime rather than curb escalating property crime, according to a prison rights group.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in October a new youth jail was “under consideration” in response to skyrocketing property crime, including the theft of an astonishing 1200 cars in Cairns this year.

The premier said a statewide fund to expand youth detention services amounting to $500m could be drawn upon to build a dedicated youth jail, rumoured to be built in the Innisfail area.

Members of prison advocacy group Sisters Inside visited Cairns this week to drum up opposition to the proposed youth jail.

Community advocacy group Sisters Inside is against the Queensland government building a youth detention centre in Far North Queensland. Neta-Rie Mabo, Debbie Kilroy and Ruby Wharton met with Member for Cairns Michael Healy to formally lodge their objection to the proposed centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

The group, led by Debbie Kilroy, visited non-government youth providers YETI and Deadly Inspiring Youth Doing Good.

They also arranged to meet Cook MP Cynthia Lui and Cairns MP Michael Healy, however Ms Lui’s office called to cancel, Ms Kilroy said.

“He talked a lot about the root cause and how that can be addressed,” she said.

“That is the narrative from the government but early intervention doesn’t mean build a prison.”

Ms Kilroy spent time behind bars herself at Boggo Road jail when she was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for drug trafficking in 1989.

She said, rather than protecting the community, locking up more children would lead to traumatised youth back on the street who would be more likely to continue in their criminality.

Townsville’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre where most Cairns children are detained after being sentenced. Picture: Matt Taylor

She cited reports from child offenders released from Townsville’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre alleging solitary confinement and an outlawed technique to restrain violent inmates called “folding up”.

The restraint involves the crossing of an inmate’s legs and officers using their body weight to force a person’s arms and legs against their head.

“They use the same restraints, the difference is they don’t hold down the child’s head on the ground,” she said.

“While the government has continued to (fund) a racist prison system (we’re) seeing more children in prison and the effect of that is played out on the community.

“Politicians auctioning law and order … leverages fear of crime and community insecurity.”

According to budget papers a total of $2.2b over five years, including $500m per year was allocated in the 2022/23 budget for out-of-home care services in response “to significant, ongoing pressures” and “increased demand” in the child protection system.

Recurrent funding of $7.4m a year has also been earmarked to address youth detention centre “pressures”.

“We need to reimagine that $500m for a community solution where children are not violated,” Ms Kilroy said.

“The way we treat children now is what we will get when they are adults.”

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Originally published as Cairns youth jail: Sisters Inside fight against new correctional facility