Qld youth justice review done by November

Queensland will hold an independent review into the youth justice system and Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath is confident of a positive outcome.

Two appointees will be given three months to oversee an independent review into Queensland's youth justice system and report back to Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath.

Ms D'Ath has consistently defended Queensland's youth justice system since a royal commission was announced into allegations young people were abused in the Northern Territory's facilities.

There have been calls for the royal commission to be extended to Queensland.

Ms D'Ath says she is restricted by law from responding to allegations of wrong doing in the state system in "any meaningful way".

"I believe it is important to put these allegations to bed," she said on Friday.

"The focus (of the review) will firmly be on the practices, operation and oversight of Queensland's youth detention centres, specifically referring to the allegations raised last night."

Amnesty International has claimed there exists a systemic "culture of abuse and secrecy" within youth detention in Queensland and released CCTV images showing alleged mistreatment in facilities, including Townsville's Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.

A former inmate, 17-year-old Russell Johnston, also spoke out on the ABC this week about frequent torment by guards, regular bashings and racial abuse.

"I have confidence in our system and our youth justice system, but I need to make sure that the community has confidence in our system." Ms D'Ath said.


Share
Published 20 August 2016 3:32am
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world