Kids driven to self-harm at ‘austere and institutional’ centre, report finds

Children are self-harming to escape being held for weeks at a time in a facility built for adults and devoid of green space, privacy or natural light, despite the government promoting it as a better alternative to holding young people in police watchhouses.

Analysis of the Wacol Remand Centre, published in a report by Queensland’s inspector of detention services, prompted further warnings from advocates about the Crisafulli government’s breach bail laws, which they say will exasperate overcrowding issues in prisons.

The remand centre west of Brisbane was originally built as an adult watchhouse for the Queensland Police Service (QPS), but was transferred to the Department of Youth Justice and Victim Support for temporary use in April 2025 due to capacity issues across the state’s three juvenile prisons.

The inspector’s report analysed the centre’s use over a seven-month period, and found that despite recommendations for children to be kept there for as short a time as possible, most spent about a week at the centre, and in some cases, more than a month.

Inspector of Detention Services Anthony Reilly said while the centre offered a more positive alternative for young people than QPS watchhouses, which have been widely criticised, it was not designed to accommodate children.

“Staff told us about the centre’s lack of grass and natural light, and limited time outdoors having a negative impact on children’s mental health,” Reilly said.

“[Staff] observed that signs usually appeared after the child had been at the centre for about two weeks.

“Similarly, children’s living areas are confined and lack privacy. Most importantly, the centre lacks outdoor spaces, and children have limited access to fresh air and natural light.”

Children brought to the facility include those from north and far north Queensland awaiting beds in Townsville’s Cleveland Detention Centre. This cohort tended to spend longer in the centre, and were more likely to be acutely impacted by its “austere and institutional” environment.

“[Wacol Remand Centre] was built to maximise durability. All surfaces are of hardened concrete and stainless steel, which creates an overwhelmingly institutional environment,” Reilly said.

“Staff spoke about some children from north Queensland, who, after spending extended periods at the centre, displayed negative behaviours and engaged in acts of self-harm to influence and expedite their transfer to another centre.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from rural and remote communities are considered highly vulnerable to suicide and self-harm.

Statewide data shows First Nations children account for about 70 per cent of young people detained in Queensland jails on an average night.

On a whole, Queensland has the highest number of young people in detention compared to other Australian states and territories.

The report noted the likelihood that the Crisafulli government’s new laws, which will impose a minimum mandatory sentence for offenders who breach bail conditions, will increase the number of children and adults held on remand in detention centres and watchhouses.

“In the year ahead, it may be the case that the impacts of the above reforms are such that the existing three YDCs and the new Woodford YDC do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate the number of children that our criminal justice system requires to be detained,” Reilly said.

“As a consequence, it is possible that children will need to be detained in large numbers and for lengthy periods in watchhouses.”

Queensland Council for Civil Liberties vice president Terry O’Gorman said overcrowding was inevitable under the planned new laws.

“The youth justice minister’s ducking and weaving in avoiding constant media questions as to the capacity of youth detention centres and the Wacol Remand Centre to handle the expected surge in Queensland’s juvenile jail numbers … must end,” O’Gorman said.

At a press conference on Thursday morning, Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber spruiked the government’s efforts to add 2000 new beds to adult and youth prisons across the state.

Premier David Crisafulli said putting more people in prison, despite capacity constraints, was “not a tough decision”.

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