Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC)

Yesterday, YAC CEO Katherine Hayes joined numerous other concerned stakeholders to speak about the Queensland Government's new youth justice legislation. "The Queensland Government is continuing to spend over $1 billion on a failed strategy" Thank you to QCOSS for their support and advocacy. #youthjustice #australia #youth

“The amendments will lead to sentences for children that are more punitive than necessary to achieve community safety”. Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity in the Statement of Compatibility for the Making Queensland Safer Bill.

You’re invited to our AGM on Thursday 7th November, 2023.   RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gwSxDwce   The meeting will commence at 4PM at Level 2 / 16 Peel Street, South Brisbane.   Join us for an insightful panel discussion where young people and frontline workers will come together to discuss the pressing issues facing young people in Queensland post-election 2024. Don’t miss this chance to hear firsthand from those directly affected and to engage in a dialogue that matters.

YAC appeared in this story by the NIT today: "Two 13-year-old Indigenous children were kept in adult Queensland watch houses for 26 and 25 days respectively, submissions from the youth justice inquiry have revealed." https://lnkd.in/gnvDK8Y8

YAC is pleased to invite you to “A Layman's Guide to Youth Justice Laws in Queensland”. This webinar is designed provide a digestible overview of the Youth Justice Act and other relevant laws and will answer your questions about how things pan out in practice. As a start, we will address: - What are “Serious Repeat Offenders”? - What are the sentencing options for serious crimes such as car theft, assault and break and entering? Is parole available? What is a ‘heinous’ crime? - What is the difference between adult and youth sentencing? - When is bail granted, and what conditions can be imposed? What happens when bail is breached? What diversions are available to the courts or police? (such as restorative justice and cautions) - When are convictions recorded? When do adult courts have access to a Children’s Court record? Presented by: Katherine Hayes, CEO, and Damian Bartholomew, Principal Solicitor. Mon 14 October, 4PM - 5PM Click here for more details and to register: https://lnkd.in/guufGb5i

Every day, Community Legal Centres prevent people from becoming homeless, help them mitigate rising costs of living, and deal with complex legal problems. Community Legal Centres make a real difference and need adequate and ongoing funding to continue to serve their communities. That’s why we are calling on the next State Government to help #savecommunitylegalcentres and commit to rolling the $12.4 million funding uplift allocated in the 2024-25 budget into ongoing base funding for community legal centres.

Last week the Queensland Ombudsman released their inspection report of the Cairns and Murgon watchhouses. This picture shows a toilet in a Cairns watch-house cell, of which the Ombudsman said: “The toilets have a partial wall that provides some privacy in terms of the view from the spine into the cell. It provides little privacy from others in the cell, especially when three or more children are sharing it. There is a bed adjacent to the toilet “ “In the Cairns watch-house, we saw children using their mattresses to surround themselves in an attempt to get privacy when using the toilet. We were advised that this is a common practice, and that children do the same at Murgon.” You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g7TUDrCk

Last week the Queensland Ombudsman released their inspection report of the Cairns and Murgon watchhouses which included the below case study. ❗Warning: this story is distressing and contains stories of self-harm. “A child admitted to the Cairns watch-house responded to the standard medical assessment questions advising that they had consumed methamphetamine (ICE) in the 24 hours before their arrest, they had a chest infection, they usually took ADHD medication, and they had attempted to self-harm within the last three months. This included a suicide attempt while in custody. “ “No further medical or mental health assessments were undertaken on that day (or over the subsequent six days), either within the watch-house or in a hospital, to adequately assess the child’s immediate/initial needs. The child was, however, placed on 30-minute observations for the duration of their detention in the watch-house (meaning staff had to check on the child every 30 minutes). “ “Despite reporting that they had a chest infection, the child did not see the onsite nurse until Day 8. By this time, they had complained of sore ribs, a blocked nose, fever and stomach cramps. When their condition had not improved by Day 13, the nurse administered medication that day and on the following four consecutive days.“ “There is no record of the child being administered ADHD medication while they were in the watch-house. Four incidents were recorded for the child, with the most serious being an assault on another child and a watch-house officer. The same records refer to ‘self-harm’ and the child being placed in a padded cell for approximately three hours. There is very little information about the manner or seriousness of the self‑harm. The child was not seen by a mental health service until two days after the self‑harm incident. “ You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g7TUDrCk

Last week the Queensland Ombudsman released their inspection report of the Cairns and Murgon watchhouses. This picture shows the Cairns exercise yard, of which the Ombudsman said: “The Cairns watch-house contains a large outdoor exercise yard with high, solid walls and a caged roof that lets sunlight through. The ground is concrete. We saw boys and (separately) men using this exercise yard on one of the days we were at the watch-house. The boys were kicking or throwing balls or talking in small groups. “ “Most boys were gathered in the small amounts of shade offered in the yard. During our visit in January 2024, we went into the yard a short time after the men had been using it. We found it to be oppressively hot, with little shade.” You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g7TUDrCk

This week the Queensland Ombudsman released their inspection report of the Cairns and Murgon watchhouses. Pictured is the shower in the women’s and girls’ unit at the Cairns watch-house, as seen from the doorway. The Ombudsman’s report includes the following: “The shower area has no door from the spine. This means there is a risk that staff and/or detainees can see a child in the shower from the spine when walking past. “ “We are concerned that this lack of privacy may not meet the international standards identified earlier in this chapter.” You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g7TUDrCk