The Queensland Government introduced legislation into Parliament today (14 June) aiming to keep young people out of watch houses and detention while maintaining community safety.
The Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 supports the government’s commitment that children and young people will not be detained on remand in Queensland Police Service watch houses, other than for normal arrest and processing.
Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer said the Bill is an important step in the government’s $550 million youth justice reform agenda, which is focused on keeping communities safe, reducing offending and re-offending while holding young offenders to account.
She said the government had committed $332.5 million to expand, build and staff new youth detention centres and for programs that will drive down offending and reoffending, but urgent action was needed to reduce remand pressures within the youth justice system.
“No-one wants to see young people held on remand or in watch houses beyond usual processing times. This Bill strikes the right balance between keeping the community safe and ensuring that whenever possible, children are kept out of custody and that we minimise the amount of time young people spend in detention.
“It will help remove barriers that may contribute to children being refused bail, breaching bail conditions or remaining in detention on remand for an extended period, including in watch houses.
“Importantly, the Bill retains judicial and police discretion to ensure community safety when making decisions about bail.
“But wherever it is possible and safe to do so, we want young people out of detention, especially when they have not yet been convicted of an offence.”
Ms Farmer said many of the young people held on remand, instead of being bailed, are there because they don’t have a safe home to go to. She said the Bill would help change the story for young Queenslanders in need and had been developed following consultation with magistrates, legal practitioners, service providers and youth justice services staff.
“We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different outcomes for our young people,” she said.
“We know that by placing young offenders in detention, they are more likely to re-offend and that young people coming into contact with youth justice face a range of complex issues.”
Fifty-two percent of young offenders are disengaged from education, employment and training, 18 percent are homeless or in unsuitable accommodation and 58 percent have mental health or behavioural disorders.
“We need to work hard to address these issues and change the story for these young people, to help them reengage with education, employment, training and their communities.”
The introduction of this Bill delivers on the government’s commitment in Working Together Changing the Story: Youth Justice Strategy 2019-2023 to commence a review into the Youth Justice Act 1992 in 2019.
If the Bill passes, it is expected to take effect from the end of 2019. Legal peak bodies and police were consulted during the drafting of the Bill and there will more chance for wider input during the committee process.
