The Northern Territory's chief minister insists there is enough space at the notorious Don Dale Youth Detention Centre for a large-scale transfer of detainees from the Alice Springs facility.
This week the Department of Territory Families confirmed that the majority of young people at Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre would be temporarily moved to Don Dale, near Darwin, in the new year.
The detainees are expected to stay there for at least three months while "major upgrades" are completed at the Alice Springs site.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles confirmed there were 50 beds at the Don Dale facility, which the NT government pledged to close five years ago.
Departmental data shows the number of people in youth detention across the NT hovers between 40 and 65.
Ms Fyles acknowledged the influx of detainees from Alice Springs would "stretch capacities" at the Darwin site, but she insisted the facility could manage.
"It's a unique situation where we're trying to undertake these significant renovations so we have a far more therapeutic facility in Alice Springs," she said.
Major renovations at centre
The government said the renovations would include upgrades to medical and visitor facilities as well as new program areas.
The chief minister could not confirm if any beds would be added to the centre as part of the refurbishments.
The facility will remain open during the renovations, but at a severely reduced capacity.
"We will try and keep as many detainees in Alice Springs during these upgrades," Ms Fyles said.
"But … there will be times where we will have to have a large proportion in Darwin so we can do these works."
The chief minister could not confirm how much the transfer would cost, but said the government would keep it "to a minimum".
Impact on young people
Youth justice advocates are concerned this move will significantly impact detainees, tearing them from family and support networks and disrupting rehabilitation.
There have been calls for the NT government to find an alternative local site to hold the young people, but Ms Fyles said it wasn't that easy.
"These types of facilities have to be to a very specific standard," she said.
"So it's not like you can go and access another residential area and use it for that facility."
The majority of children held in youth detention across the NT are on remand, meaning they have not been found guilty of a crime.
Youth advocates are calling for these children to be released early from the Alice Springs centre, before the transition to Don Dale.
Ms Fyles said it was crucial the children went through the necessary processes before being released into the community, despite the lack of sentences.
"It's finding that balance between keeping the community safe and keeping those young people safe and them understanding the consequences of their behaviour," she said.
