A new facility to detain young offenders awaiting trial has opened in Brisbane, after construction delays saw children forced into long stays in adult watchhouses.
The 76-bed Wacol Youth Remand Centre, announced under the former Palaszczuk Labor government, was initially slated to open by the end of 2024 but was delayed until mid-2025.
As a result of the setback, as well as overcrowding and increased demand for youth detention facilities, young offenders awaiting trial have routinely been kept in adult watchhouses, some for long periods.
Youth Justice and Corrective Services Minister Laura Gerber with Police Minister Dan Purdie at the opening of the Wacol Youth Remand Centre on Saturday.Credit: LNP
A report in February showed a total of 37 children were in watchhouses across the state, including a 16-year-old boy who spent 18 days in a cell and a 12-year-old for eight.
Youth Justice and Corrective Services Minister Laura Gerber blamed the former Labor government for the delays to the Wacol centre, and used its opening on Saturday morning to criticise their record on youth crime.
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“This remand centre is one of the first steps to addressing the youth crime crisis that started under Labor, and providing the facilities and infrastructure needed to keep our community safe,” Gerber said.
“For a decade, Labor let youth crime spiral out of control and sat on their hands while youth recidivism skyrocketed and capacity in our youth detention centres reached breaking point.”
Despite Gerber’s comments, data has shown a consistent decrease in youth crime in Queensland over the past two decades, with Queensland Police Service findings released in August last year showing youth crime rates had fallen to near-record lows.
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