A former corrective services officer has warned that youth remand centres, like the one planned for Caloundra, are not always able to contain “the worst of the worst”.
Working for 17 years in a variety of youth correctional roles in South Australia, including as a facility manager, Tony Bridges knows the reality of what goes on behind locked doors at such facilities.
His comments follow Sunshine Coast Councillor Terry Landsberg’s push for the state government to hold a public forum as community concerns over the “youth jail” heat up.
These plans appear to be going ahead to repurpose the Caloundra Watchhouse as a youth remand centre to house overflow from other state facilities, where up to 30 young people accused of crimes and denied bail could spend a month or more awaiting trial.
Mr Bridges, who is also the spokesperson for residents group Caloundra Safe, said while these facilities were designed to keep the accused locked inside, from his experience breakouts could, and did, happen.
“A lot of things can happen in those centres, especially when you imagine the ones that are getting locked up are the worst ones,” Mr Bridges told Sunshine Coast News.
He said they were usually accused of committing numerous offences, including serious ones, and considered too much of a risk to the community to be out an about while they awaited trial.
“In my experience, once I was supervising kids in a swimming pool and one suddenly jumped and climbed a very large barbed-wire fence and escaped.
“I chased him and had to jump people’s fences from yard to yard.
“It’s a fairly rare occurrence, but you don’t want to put up with that sort of stuff here.”
Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt, in a recent letterbox drop, told residents that young people would not be permitted to leave the centre and would be closed off from the public.
Mr Hunt said using the watchhouse to hold young people on remand had been considered since 2013.
Those no longer in custody and from other areas would not be released in Caloundra but be transported back to their communities.
Mr Bridges acknowledged the need for youth facilities, but questioned the decision to establish one in a busy residential and tourist town.
With the state’s legal system now tougher on young offenders, Mr Bridges said the three main youth centres across Queensland (Townsville, Wacol and Moreton), which were all removed from built-up areas and schools, were reaching capacity.
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“The first question I ask is why would you want to place the centre here, and why would you put it right in the middle of a community?
“If you look at the other detention centres you currently have in Queensland, they are away from residential areas – and for good reason.
“If something goes wrong, for example an escape or a break-in, then the last thing you want is it happening in the middle of a community.”
Mr Bridges believed the youth remand centre required a long-term approach rather than a convenient “quick fix” solution.
He was particularly concerned by a point brought up at a recent invite-only meeting between some community groups and departmental officials where it was mentioned there could be a need to expand the facility in the future.
“There’s no capacity (at Caloundra Watchhouse) to expand the service for such a small site,” he said.
“If you want one in Caloundra, have it somewhere else. Why not have a place where you can automatically extend without having to worry about finding a new place.
“My opinion is, the reason why they have selected that site is that’s it is readily available.
“The place is not being used a lot, it’s already got approval to be used in that capacity to detain offending people.
“It’s a convenience thing for them, rather than thinking about the long term.”
The cost of repurposing the Caloundra Watchhouse on Gregson Place into a youth remand facility is expected to cost $16.4 million over four years.
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