He made the comments after an Aboriginal teenager was allegedly spending 20 hours a day locked in a cell.Locking up children, ignoring their human rights and focusing on punishment rather than rehabilitation is turning young people into criminals.
The court was told that during 744 days in the youth prison, the boy was regularly locked in his cell for more than 20 hours a day."Reports tabled in court showing an Aboriginal teenager with an intellectual disability was likely locked in solitary confinement for more than 500 days is among of the most egregious breaches of human rights we have seen," Mr Dillon said.It is not the first time the detention centre has faced scrutiny.
On Friday, the teenager pleaded guilty to sexual assault and rape and was sentenced to four years and six months in custody. Mr Dillon said the serious nature of the crime did not negate the state's duty while the boy was in custody."This is about human rights but it's also about being human to one another."I wonder what they expect will happen when he gets out of prison?"
In May, the Queensland government announced it will build a new youth detention centre in the state's southeast and is also looking to build another in Cairns, with a proposed site still in the planning stages.Protesters across Australia demand an end to armed police in remote Indigenous communities