Queensland prison overhaul sees teens moved back to juvenile detention

Seventeen-year-olds will be moved out of adult prisons and into juvenile facilities in a major overhaul to Queensland’s justice system.

Janet Wight from the Youth Advocacy Centre said she had almost “given up hope” that the change would be made, as critics say it has come too late.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

Queensland is the only state where 17-year-olds are treated as adults in the criminal justice system, with 48 teens currently behind bars in adult jails.

One of those teens was last month shown handcuffed in an isolation room and forced to wear a mask in more alarming footage from inside Australian detention facilities.

The new laws will need to pass through Parliament first, with the removal process scheduled to take a year.

“I obviously would like it sooner, but I understand the complications,” Sisters Inside spokesperson Debbie Kilroy said.

Ms Palaszczuk said the government will now work on how to integrate the 17-year-olds into the juvenile system which houses children as young as 10.

“We may have to look at some separate facilities within the youth detention centre if that is needed,” she said.

The State Government says moving the 17-year-olds into juvenile facilities may also reduce crime rates, particularly among repeat offenders.

But State Opposition leader Tim Nicholls has his doubts about the relocation.

“We already know there’s overcrowding in detention centres. Moving another 50 17-year-olds in there is only going to make that position worse,” he said.

As part of the criminal overhaul process, the Attorney General will also look into why young people are breaking the law.