Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (27 June) . . Page.. 2507 ..

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

QUESTION NUMBER 268

Belconnen Remand Centre and Quamby - Detainees

Ms Follett - Asked the Attorney General:

(1) Is it true that Karralika Therapeutic Community has a policy of accepting only two clients at any one time from the criminal justice system.

(2) If so, what impact has this policy had on the numbers and categories of detainees at (a) Belconnen Remand Centre; and (b) Quamby.

Mr Humphries - The answer to the member's question to the Attorney General is as follows and is based on information provided by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation of the ACT (ADFACT) who run Karralika:

1 ADFACT advise that ex-detainees tend to form a group in Karralika programs which can hinder the progress of all participants. For this reason they have developed policies that restrict the number of ex-detainees in programs. In particular, Karralika policy states that the resident population can not include more than two recent detainees.

Policy also states that detainees must contact the program within the first two weeks of their detention. This is to prevent those detainees not genuine about their own rehabilitation from using the program as a last minute way to present a positive case to court.

Variations to the rules under this policy may be made with the approval of the Service Director.

2(a) Currently there are seven detainees in the Belconnen Remand Centre who are seeking admission to a residential drug and alcohol treatment program such as Karralika and the Salvation Army MANCARE Community. While ACT Corrective Services staff also actively seek placements in interstate facilities, local applicants are usually given priority over ACT referrals.

The above can lead to extended remand periods for some persons at the Belconnen Remand Centre if the court chooses to delay sentencing until the outcome of the therapeutic intervention.

2(b) Information received from Juvenile Justice indicates this policy has had minimal impact on the numbers and categories of detainees at Quamby as Karralika does not accept youths under 18 years of age and juvenile referrals are usually made to Arcadia House and other suitable rehabilitation facilities interstate.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .