Crime model developed by former jail boss receives overwhelming support at Cairns forum

A new approach to crime, developed by a former prison boss, has been tabled at a crime forum in Cairns, with the model receiving overwhelming support from attendees.

Former director general of the Queensland Corrective Services Commission, Keith Hamburger speaking at the Cairns community crime forum on Tuesday night. Picture: Molly Frew

A new approach to crime, developed by a former prison boss, has been tabled at a crime forum in Cairns, with the model receiving overwhelming support from attendees.

“The message of ‘adult crime, adult time’ has certainly resonated in the last election, but that’s not the whole answer,” former Queensland Corrective Services Commission director general Keith Hamburger said at the forum.

“The current system is broken.”

Mr Hamburger said extensive expenditure on juvenile and adult prisons was “wasteful” given high recidivism rates.

Katherine Hayes, CEO of the Youth Advocacy Centre, Keith Hamburger, former Director General of Queensland Corrective Services Commission, and victim advocate Trudy Reading spoke at the Cairns community seminar on Tuesday night. Picture: Molly Frew

“The cost of building those (jails) is exorbitant and we’re churning (people) through and when they’ve got a 90 per cent recidivism rate, it’s just a complete waste of public money … You create worse criminals,” Mr Hamburger said,

With extensive experience in the justice system, Mr Hamburger developed a model to approach the crime crisis in Queensland, which he presented to Far North residents at the forum on Tuesday.

Mr Hamburger said the model aims to both reduce crime and save taxpayers’ money, and was developed in collaboration with various stakeholders, including First Nations communities.

The top level, Mr Hamburger said, is to achieve bipartisan agreement on best practice policies to reduce crime and rehabilitate offenders.

“Politicians across the parliament must agree on evidence-based policies and best practice and operations to deal with the social challenges of crime,” he said.

“What’s needed is an all-party parliamentary justice reform committee to oversee best practice, justice reform, joined up with social reform to achieve a peaceful and safe society.”

Mr Hamburger said a ‘statutory justice reform office’ of independent experts should be established to advise the proposed justice reform committee on best practice.

05/01/2023: Former QLD Director General, Corrective Services Keith Hamburger outside the notorious Boggo Road gaol, closed in the late 1980’s. pic Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

“We’re sitting here tonight with 140 per cent jails, and we’ve got overcrowded police watch houses. There are public servants who have let that happen, and ministers who are supposed to be accountable have let that happen.

“But the ministers, as the accountable officers, need to get expert advice outside the department from time to time,” he said.

The second level of the approach, Mr Hamburger said, is based at the community level.

Mr Hamburger said there needed to be small, locally-run rehabilitation centres in disadvantaged areas, so offenders could stay in their communities.

“We’ve got to empower those communities to deliver those services, own them and operate them, get paid for it,” he said.

“What I’m saying is that we don’t just keep taking kids away from The Gulf and putting them in detention centres down the coast.

“And we reduce the recidivism rate by getting those children and their families properly supported into law-abiding lifestyles, and also reduce the costs of keeping someone in detention.”

Katherine Hayes, CEO youth advocacy centre, speaking at the STOP YOUTH CRIME Ð GET SMARTER NOT TOUGHER event, PeakCare Queensland together with signatories of an unprecedented open letter to the Queensland Parliament, at The Hilton Hotel, Brisbane, on Wednesday 1st February 2023 - Photo Steve Pohlner

Mr Hamburger said the centres should be small and operate programs linked back to offenders’ families.

“Put them in a 250-bed detention centre, you just lose them.

“If you’re going to rehabilitate a child you’ve got to strengthen and rehabilitate the family – that’s all got to be a joined up service,” he said.

“And in many cases, the families would actually come into the facility to work, do the same programs as the kids.”

Deputy Mayor Brett Olds and Queensland MP Robbie Katter were at the forum, as was Opposition Youth Justice spokeswoman Di Farmer.

At the end of the presentation, Mr Hamburger said he put the approach to the attendees and said there was only one person who opposed the model.

Mr Hamburger said he would send letters to Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Opposition Leader Steven Miles asking for their bipartisan support on the issue.

The next step, he said, was to approach Mr Crisafulli and relevant ministers, inviting them to visit Cairns and talk to stakeholders about the next steps.

“There was an indication last night that the Cairns community, those people there anyway, would like to see a trial in Cairns of what I’m talking about,” Mr Hamburger said.

“If the Premier is kind enough to come to Cairns and meet with the local council and people up here, we’d be pushing for a trial of the model in Cairns,” he said.

Originally published as Crime model developed by former jail boss receives overwhelming support at Cairns forum