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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Ben Smee

‘Set up to fail’: boy, 12, attempted suicide after Queensland police demanded rearrest at bush camp

An illustration of a young man in a book that has the title Repeat Offenders Index
Youth justice employees and First Nations elders are among those who say punitive policing is hindering young Queenslanders from breaking the cycle of crime. Illustration: Ben Sanders/The Guardian

Queensland police threatened to raid a government-backed rehabilitation camp for First Nations children, demanding the rearrest of a 12-year-old boy who then fled into the bush “traumatised” and attempted suicide.

The following year police “ambushed” and arrested the same boy, then aged 13, while he was in the process of moving to another community – supported by youth justice and child safety authorities – to boost his rehabilitation prospects.

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