The Queensland ombudsman has backed away from calls to close a youth prison so “unsuitable” for children that some are self-harming in an attempt to get transferred, amid concerns that the Crisafulli government’s hardline bail laws could create a new crowding crisis in police watch houses.
The ombudsman, Anthony Reilly, published an inspection report last week that raised serious new concerns about the suitability of the Wacol youth remand centre to hold children for extended periods, including the fact that young people were being held in conditions where there is “a lack of space, privacy and natural light”.
