Youth justice must focus on breaking cycle of disadvantage

The Commissioner for Children and Young People WA Colin Pettit has said footage broadcast by the ABC's Four Corners program of children and young people's treatment in a NT detention centre was extremely distressing and a reminder that enduring vigilance is required to ensure the safety of vulnerable children and young people.

Mr Pettit said that he has personally visited WA’s Banksia Hill Detention Centre since being appointed Commissioner in November 2015 and his office has not received any reports of similar abuse of children and young people in WA.

“I was personally shocked to see the brutality of these incidents and want to make it clear that this sort of treatment of children and young people in detention is inexcusable and entirely in contradiction to what we should be doing in youth justice – to work with and support these young people to turn their lives around and create a positive future,” Mr Pettit said.

“In Western Australia we have strong, independent oversight agencies – including the Inspector of Custodial Services and the Ombudsman – that play a role in monitoring standards of youth justice facilities.

“Oversight mechanisms should be scrutinised to ensure they are sufficiently robust to prevent the maltreatment of young people in any sort of detention from going undetected.

“It is vital that children and young people have the ability to speak out and be heard by the broader community whenever they are concerned about their welfare, and this is a matter that I promote and monitor as part of my role as Commissioner.

“In April this year my office released a report on behalf of children’s commissioners across Australia that emphasised the important human rights standards that apply to youth justice facilities.

“While some of these young people may well have behaved appallingly, we must as a society recognise and understand that they are extremely vulnerable, with the majority having come from violent, drug and alcohol affected families where there is often significant dysfunction and trauma.

“These young people are deserving of a youth justice system that does not perpetuate their already traumatic experiences.

“There is much work being undertaken in WA to reform youth justice and, while there is still much to be achieved, we are heading in the right direction.

“There are still have too many WA children and young people in detention and the over-representation of Aboriginal children in detention is of significant concern.

“We must continue to strengthen our focus on programs that intervene early when issues arise and divert children and young people away from the justice system.

“This includes working with families and communities to break with the well-understood intergenerational cycles that engage children in criminal activity and provide opportunities for their positive contribution to the community.”

//ENDS