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Former head of Queensland corrections calls for an overhaul led by Indigenous communities and introduction of statutory body for corrections
New youth detention centres are not the answer and will just lock the Northern Territory into an endless cycle of incarceration, the royal commission has heard.
The royal commission into the protection and detention of children in the NT began its second public hearing this week and heard evidence from the former head of Queensland corrections Keith Hamburger.
In evidence continuing from Monday, Hamburger called for an overhaul of the youth justice system, led by Aboriginal people and communities, and the introduction of a statutory body for corrections.
The NT government has earmarked funds for a new youth correctional facility at Alice Springs and one in Darwin to replace the controversial and aged Don Dale. However, Hamburger, who led a comprehensive and highly critical review into the corrections department this year, said he did not believe that was the answer.
“Whilst there’s no doubt that the current facilities are totally inadequate, I don’t think the solution at this point is necessarily, on the evidence available, to jump to building two new facilities in those locations,” he said. “Once we start investing I think it’s in the order of $21m into two new facilities, that locks us into that solution for many, many years.”
Hamburger had earlier spoken of his recommendations for a new youth justice system, one based on community programs, returning young Aboriginal people to traditional lands and therapeutic care, including animal and recreational therapy. Facilities would be “cottage style” accommodation with wide recreational spaces.
He criticised the current system of incarceration as going completely against the purpose of youth justice, telling the hearing yesterday Don Dale in particular was run “like a human storage facility”.
“I don’t think it’s relevant whether it’s the police or judiciary putting people into the centre,” he said. “They’ve missed the point of the underlying drivers of this and how we address that.”
He said his report proposed a model that would see the Department of Children and Families playing a part in strengthening communities, working in concert with families and with appropriate programs in the justice system.
He said he wasn’t sure to what extent the department was currently working with Aboriginal communities to achieve change and he feared programs would not be culturally appropriate or driven.
Hamburger also detailed his recommendation for an inspector general of adult and juvenile corrections, with Aboriginal people at the forefront, to act as oversight. “We have a minority white prison population but Aboriginal people are really disempowered in the prison system,” he said.
The NT prison population is 85% Indigenous in adult corrections and 96% in youth facilities.
He said the corrections area of government was “so risk prone” it was critical it never fell into disrepair. “It always results in human tragedy and massive cost to the taxpayer ultimately.”
Less than a week before he was due to complete his report Hamburger hadn’t yet decided to include that as part of his recommendations but then he viewed the Four Corners episode on Don Dale, which he described as a “catalyst” to call for a circuit breaker.
Asked if he had confidence in his desired changes occurring, based on recent response and actions by authorities, Hamburger said: “I’m an optimistic person and I’m hoping that it will be but looking at the initial responses prepared here … it doesn’t give me a lot of confidence that the officers at least are thinking down the path we’ve outlined in our report.”
By Helen Davidson
6 December 2016
