Following the Turnbull Government’s recommendation for a Royal Commission into the Youth Detention in the NT, CREATE Foundation expresses support of investigating and improving youth detention facilities. It is vital that conditions and treatment of children and young people are humane and ethical.
CREATE also shares that children and young people with an out-of-home care experience (i.e. foster, kinship or residential care) are greatly over-represented in youth detention. This cohort are 23 times more likely to have contact with the juvenile justice system compared with mainstream young people.
It is reported that some jurisdictions (NT in particular) have higher rates of incarceration of young people. CREATE supports the National Human Rights Commissioners in their calls for improved services and investment in early intervention and alternatives to youth detention.
“Urgent action is required here as children and young people in care have already been abused and this treatment by the corporate parent is unacceptable,” Jacqui Reed, Chief Executive Officer of CREATE.
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