Page 4753 - Week 13 - Thursday, 28 November 2019
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MRS JONES: Minister, what responsibility do you take for the failures identified in the AMC given that you have administered it for seven years?
MR RATTENBURY: The thing I have made very clear is that I am looking very closely at those findings. I take responsibility for getting on and dealing with those issues and making sure that we provide the best corrective services system we can, just as I have done for the past seven years when we have made a steady range of improvements at the AMC, including the provision of industries, which were never there when the jail was built, and including a range of security upgrades that have been progressed as problems have been identified and as new technology has become available or old technology has become outdated. These are the sorts of things that we are working on at the AMC. It is a constant project.
Bimberi Youth Justice Centre—detainee transfer
MR HANSON: My question is to the Minister for Children, Youth and Families. Minister, the Children and Young People Act allows for young detainees to be transferred between Bimberi and the courts by a police officer, a corrections officer or a youth justice officer. Further, those given this escort responsibility have custody of the detainees and can exercise the same functions under the act that are exercised by trained youth workers, including search and seizure and the use of force. Minister, why has the government chosen to use adult corrections workers for the transfer of children and young people and not youth justice workers?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Hanson for his question. I was struggling to see where he was going with that, with the very long preamble. That has been a longstanding practice, but it has also been drawn to my attention directly by the Inspector of Correctional Services, who will take responsibility for oversight of the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre next month. He has also proactively drawn to my attention some of the concerns that have been raised with him about the use of those corrections officers who normally look after adult detainees to provide that court transport service. That is something that we will be responding to as we look into that issue. At present it has been a longstanding practice, but it is something that I am aware of, and we will certainly look into it.
MR HANSON: Minister, why have the corrections officers who escort young detainees not been specifically trained in how to deal with youth in their custody in accordance with the Children and Young People Act, including search, seizure and the use of force?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Hanson for the supplementary. As I said, that is a matter that has recently been drawn to my attention. I will be working on how to respond to that, as we respond to all recommendation from all oversight bodies which, as Mr Rattenbury has said, it is an ongoing process of improvement across our justice system.
MRS JONES: Minister, given that this practice is totally unacceptable, will you immediately cease it whilst you decide how to respond to the report?
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