❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Corrective Services about the safety of youth detention facilities, particularly Unit 18, following a suicide attempt. The Minister defends the government's actions and challenges the opposition to provide alternative solutions.
AnsweredQoN 753Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
YOUTH DETENTION — SAFETY
753. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to previous answers to
questions asked in this place regarding unit 18 when the Minister for
Corrective Services stated that he would be taking action to ensure the safety
of the facilities and the recent incident involved a teenager being rushed to
hospital after attempts to take his own life. Noting that it has now been four
months since the minister took over from the
previous hapless minister, does the minister accept that the facilities are not safe, and when can the people of Western Australia expect to have a youth
detention system that reflects community expectations?
753. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Corrective Services:
I refer to previous answers to
questions asked in this place regarding unit 18 when the Minister for
Corrective Services stated that he would be taking action to ensure the safety
of the facilities and the recent incident involved a teenager being rushed to
hospital after attempts to take his own life. Noting that it has now been four
months since the minister took over from the
previous hapless minister, does the minister accept that the facilities are not safe, and when can the people of Western Australia expect to have a youth
detention system that reflects community expectations?
AnswerView source ↗
In an advance of answering this, I will
point out that the matter the member is referring to relates to a juvenile in a
very sensitive situation. I will not engage in any observations on that matter
specifically or any issues around specific matters with regard to it. It is
subject to an inquiry, and I will leave it at that. It is appropriate that that
is where the matter should reside.
With respect to juvenile detention
in Western Australia, when the Premier and I announced in late May—no,
it was June when we took over! We announced an action plan to respond to the
challenges in juvenile detention. The member will recall that that included an
infrastructure review. We committed to an infrastructure review of all
infrastructure associated with juvenile detention. We committed to the
provision of additional prison officers in the first instance and youth
custodial officers, as necessary, to ensure greater security inside the
juvenile detention centre. We indicated that a new plan would be developed for
therapeutic trauma-informed care. We indicated that we would create Aboriginal
mediators or mentors to assist with counselling of juveniles and staff. We
indicated that we would get specialist medical services from an Aboriginal
health provider. We also indicated that we would get the Telethon Kids Institute re-engaged with Banksia Hill Detention
Centre. All those things are underway and happening.
The first observation to make about
juvenile detention is that Banksia Hill Detention Centre is a significantly
better place than it was when we made those announcements. The member will
recall that the criticism at that time was that Banksia Hill was a terrible
place, that it was doing damage to people and was not a safe environment. The
member will also no doubt have observed that that has changed. There has been a
significant change. The process is ongoing and there is more to be done, but I can
tell the member now that for a number of months, juveniles have had more time out of their cells, they are going
to school, playing sport and getting interventions that were not afforded to them before. All those intentions around the other parts of the plan were
started before we got the role, but they are having an effect. The small cohort
of the most challenging, complex and frequently dangerous juveniles is now
housed at unit 18. It is a sad fact that the cohort we are referring to is a really
difficult group of juveniles to safely house.
Although a lot of money has been spent on the infrastructure to make the
housing for them safer, the challenge is
not necessarily because of the location. Wherever they are detained is not the
challenge; the challenge is the nature of the individuals.
With respect to safety, every effort
is being made, and more effort is being made on a daily basis, to focus on
improving unit 18. The Premier and I both acknowledged that unit 18 is not what
we would like it to be. It is not the preferred option. But in May, the
detainees burnt down 25 per cent of the buildings at Banksia Hill, and there is
a consequence to that. That means there is physically no alternative. I understand
that the opposition's position is to shut unit 18. I have heard the
opposition spokesperson suggesting that. Where would we put them? Those
juveniles are in detention as a last resort because the courts have deemed them
to be too dangerous to be out in the community. That is the reason; it is not
because we like locking them up.
If the opposition is saying that
unit 18 should be shut, it has to provide an alternative. The alternative is to
put them back into Banksia Hill and make it
like it was five months or two years ago when the opposition criticised us
every day and said that Banksia Hill was unsafe and dangerous. I am not
prepared to do that. They can go back to Banksia Hill, subject to an assessment
by a multidisciplinary team that identifies they are capable of going back and
that it would be safe for them to do so. There is a process by which they can
return to Banksia Hill, but we will not do that in the absence of that, because
that would be irresponsible and dangerous.
point out that the matter the member is referring to relates to a juvenile in a
very sensitive situation. I will not engage in any observations on that matter
specifically or any issues around specific matters with regard to it. It is
subject to an inquiry, and I will leave it at that. It is appropriate that that
is where the matter should reside.
With respect to juvenile detention
in Western Australia, when the Premier and I announced in late May—no,
it was June when we took over! We announced an action plan to respond to the
challenges in juvenile detention. The member will recall that that included an
infrastructure review. We committed to an infrastructure review of all
infrastructure associated with juvenile detention. We committed to the
provision of additional prison officers in the first instance and youth
custodial officers, as necessary, to ensure greater security inside the
juvenile detention centre. We indicated that a new plan would be developed for
therapeutic trauma-informed care. We indicated that we would create Aboriginal
mediators or mentors to assist with counselling of juveniles and staff. We
indicated that we would get specialist medical services from an Aboriginal
health provider. We also indicated that we would get the Telethon Kids Institute re-engaged with Banksia Hill Detention
Centre. All those things are underway and happening.
The first observation to make about
juvenile detention is that Banksia Hill Detention Centre is a significantly
better place than it was when we made those announcements. The member will
recall that the criticism at that time was that Banksia Hill was a terrible
place, that it was doing damage to people and was not a safe environment. The
member will also no doubt have observed that that has changed. There has been a
significant change. The process is ongoing and there is more to be done, but I can
tell the member now that for a number of months, juveniles have had more time out of their cells, they are going
to school, playing sport and getting interventions that were not afforded to them before. All those intentions around the other parts of the plan were
started before we got the role, but they are having an effect. The small cohort
of the most challenging, complex and frequently dangerous juveniles is now
housed at unit 18. It is a sad fact that the cohort we are referring to is a really
difficult group of juveniles to safely house.
Although a lot of money has been spent on the infrastructure to make the
housing for them safer, the challenge is
not necessarily because of the location. Wherever they are detained is not the
challenge; the challenge is the nature of the individuals.
With respect to safety, every effort
is being made, and more effort is being made on a daily basis, to focus on
improving unit 18. The Premier and I both acknowledged that unit 18 is not what
we would like it to be. It is not the preferred option. But in May, the
detainees burnt down 25 per cent of the buildings at Banksia Hill, and there is
a consequence to that. That means there is physically no alternative. I understand
that the opposition's position is to shut unit 18. I have heard the
opposition spokesperson suggesting that. Where would we put them? Those
juveniles are in detention as a last resort because the courts have deemed them
to be too dangerous to be out in the community. That is the reason; it is not
because we like locking them up.
If the opposition is saying that
unit 18 should be shut, it has to provide an alternative. The alternative is to
put them back into Banksia Hill and make it
like it was five months or two years ago when the opposition criticised us
every day and said that Banksia Hill was unsafe and dangerous. I am not
prepared to do that. They can go back to Banksia Hill, subject to an assessment
by a multidisciplinary team that identifies they are capable of going back and
that it would be safe for them to do so. There is a process by which they can
return to Banksia Hill, but we will not do that in the absence of that, because
that would be irresponsible and dangerous.
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