Mrs BRAHAM - 2005-08-24
Juveniles who commit a crime and are not granted bail usually go into detention. In Central Australia, we do not have a detention centre so the courts are reluctant to detain juveniles because they have to be sent to the Don Dale Centre in Darwin, and I can understand that, sending them so far away from home. Could you advise this House whether this government will establish a detention centre in Alice Springs?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. There is no intention to establish a long- term detention centre for juveniles in Central Australia. The current arrangement is a short- term facility in Alice Springs where juveniles can be held for a matter of a few days while arrangements are made to transfer them to Don Dale, where we have permanent facilities and proper programs and support that you really do requireneed for juveniles.
This was studied and, based on the very low number of juveniles that come into this category in Central Australia, it is simply not cost-effective to duplicate a Don Dale-type facility in Central Australia on the current population and pattern of potential youths.
The answer is very straightforward. We are retaining the current arrangement where there is a short- term facility in Alice Springs. We transfer juveniles to Don Dale in the event that they are going to have a prolonged wait for trial or, ultimately, if they are sentenced to some type of incarceration.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Braitling for her question. There is no intention to establish a long- term detention centre for juveniles in Central Australia. The current arrangement is a short- term facility in Alice Springs where juveniles can be held for a matter of a few days while arrangements are made to transfer them to Don Dale, where we have permanent facilities and proper programs and support that you really do requireneed for juveniles.
This was studied and, based on the very low number of juveniles that come into this category in Central Australia, it is simply not cost-effective to duplicate a Don Dale-type facility in Central Australia on the current population and pattern of potential youths.
The answer is very straightforward. We are retaining the current arrangement where there is a short- term facility in Alice Springs. We transfer juveniles to Don Dale in the event that they are going to have a prolonged wait for trial or, ultimately, if they are sentenced to some type of incarceration.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016