Australia: “Across the country, the juvenile justice system is in crisis, according to families of incarcerated young people, lawyers and human rights advocates. There have been calls for urgent reforms in Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory and Tasmania, while federal, state and territory governments have committed to reducing juvenile detention rates by 30% by 2031.
This week WA’s corrective services minister, Bill Johnston, announced a review into the state’s juvenile justice legislation. He acknowledged the state is facing a “changing youth justice landscape”.
The review will also examine the over-representation of young Aboriginal people in detention, the impact of cognitive impairment disabilities and the separation and isolation of detainees.
In a report released in April, the state’s custodial inspector, Eamon Ryan, found there had been 24 attempted suicides at Banksia Hill [juvenile detention center] between January and November of 2021.”
