Queensland’s draconian approach to youth justice sets kids up to fail

There is an increased acknowledgment that policies that dehumanise some of our most vulnerable young people are needlessly cruel. Photograph: AA Pix/Alamy

In 2018, following revelations about children being held in police watch houses, the Queensland government announced a new youth justice strategy designed to keep kids out of detention.

“Evidence shows that by placing young offenders in detention, they are more likely to reoffend,” the government’s statement said.