Youth Justice Monitoring Activities

Analysis of information received under the Youth Justice Regulation 2003

Under section 37 of the Youth Justice Regulation 2003, the Department of Communities is required to provide information to the Commission about allegations of harm to young people in youth detention centres. The Commission provides a confidential annual report on its analysis of this information to the Queensland Police Service and the Department of Communities.

Child Guardian Report: Youth Justice System 2010 – 2011

The Commission’s inaugural Child Guardian Report: Youth Justice System 2010 – 2011 is scheduled to be published in 2012. It will report on the outcomes of the youth justice system in accordance with the Commission’s Youth Justice System Monitoring Framework (see below).

This will include an analysis of external data sets from various agencies, such as the Department of Communities, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Health, Department of Attorney-General, Department of Education and Training and Department of Community Safety. It will also report on youth justice related activities conducted by the Child Guardian.

Youth Justice System Monitoring Framework

Developed by the Commission in collaboration with key youth justice system stakeholders, the Youth Justice System Monitoring Framework, is based on three domains which guide the Commission in analysing, interpreting and reporting on youth justice system data

Review of complaints and investigations mechanisms available to young people in youth detention

Young people in detention have a number of avenues to raise concerns or complaints about services received while in detention, including:

• the Commission’s Individual Advocacy and Resolution Program
• Department of Communities
• Queensland Police Service
• Crime and Misconduct Commission, and
• Office of the Queensland Ombudsman.

The Commission is progressing a review of these mechanisms to identify any possible improvements that could contribute to better outcomes for young people in youth detention centres.

Audit of the Administration of section 263 (4) of the Youth Justice Act 1992

The Commission has recently completed an audit of the Department of Communities’ compliance with section 263 of the Youth Justice Act 1992. This section requires the Director­General of the Department of Communities to conduct inspections of Youth Detention Centres at least once every three months.

Eleven recommendations were made to improve compliance with the requirements of section 263 of the Youth Justice Act 1992 and Department of Communities is currently progressing implementation.

Youth Justice System stakeholder engagement

The Commission attends regular meetings with youth justice system stakeholders, including:

• Youth Justice Reference Group: Key government and non­government stakeholders attend this reference group, including the Youth Advocacy Centre, Youth Affairs Network Queensland, Youth Legal Aid, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, Department of Communities, Queensland Police Service and the Department of Justice and Attorney­General.
• State Watchhouse Liaison Committee: This committee monitors the current Memorandum of Understanding between the Queensland Police Service and the Department of Communities in relation to the detention of young people in watchhouses.
• Youth Detention Inspectorate, Department of Communities: The Commission meets regularly with the Inspectorate to share critical information about the quality of services delivered in Youth Detention Centres.

Other activities in relation to the youth justice system

• For more information about Commission Community Visitors, who regularly visit Queensland’s two youth detention centres, click here
• For more information about the Commission’s Complaints functions, which can help young people in youth detention resolve their complaints, click here
• For more information about the Commission’s research in relation to the views of young people in youth detention centres, click here
• For more information about the recently released Policy Position Paper Removing 17 year olds from adult prisons and including them in the youth justice system, click here

This page will be updated as initiatives progress

Last Updated:July 26, 2012

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