
Advocates say children are being held in adult watch houses in Queensland for weeks at a time
ABCA juvenile being held in an adult watch house for more than a month, kids sleeping in shower stalls on mats, and children being denied access to fresh air and sunlight are examples of Queensland's youth justice system at crisis point, advocates and lawyers say. Key points: Queensland children are reportedly being held in adult watch houses for weeks at a time Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says it’s not the desire of the state to have children in watch houses The state's human rights commissioner has linked the issue to bail legislation changes Youth Advocacy Centre CEO Katherine Hayes said a concerning pattern of young people being detained for weeks in Queensland watch houses had emerged. Ms Hayes said the experiences for young people in watch houses at the moment have been "dehumanising and traumatising" and could lead to an increased likelihood of reoffending. Previously, Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard had said in a statement that young people were held in watch houses as part of normal processing, including arranging transport to a youth detention centre. She said that her department "works closely with police to ensure young people are not held in watch houses any longer than required".
History of this topic

Queensland police to investigate allegations disabled child was tormented in watch house
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Review into Queensland police watch houses to probe 'end-to-end systemic issues'
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Youth Advocacy Centre taking legal action against Queensland government over watch house crisis
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Queensland's youth justice review reveals children held in watch houses for longer, possibly pleading guilty to crimes they didn't commit
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Young people taking legal action against Queensland government after being held in watch houses
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Boy kept 'completely naked' in Brisbane watch house for days
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The Watch House Files: Queensland Government knew about child safety concerns
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How Four Corners secured unprecedented access to a police watch house to investigate youth detention
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The Watch House Files: Detention centres full, children locked in Queensland's police watch houses
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The Watch House Files: Queensland children kept in isolation in maximum security adult watch houses
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