The 76-bed Wacol facility, announced under the Palaszczuk government, will reduce the strain on the state’s watchhouses and help youths develop new skills.
The 76-bed Wacol facility, announced under the Palaszczuk government, will reduce the strain on the state’s watchhouses and help youths develop new skills.
By Courtney Kruk
March 29, 2025 — 5.06pm
A new facility to detain young offenders awaiting trial has opened in Brisbane, after construction delays saw children forced into long stays in adult watchhouses.
The 76-bed Wacol Youth Remand Centre, announced under the former Palaszczuk Labor government, was initially slated to open by the end of 2024 but was delayed until mid-2025.
As a result of the setback, as well as overcrowding and increased demand for youth detention facilities, young offenders awaiting trial have routinely been kept in adult watchhouses, some for long periods.
A report in February showed a total of 37 children were in watchhouses across the state, including a 16-year-old boy who spent 18 days in a cell and a 12-year-old for eight.
Youth Justice and Corrective Services Minister Laura Gerber blamed the former Labor government for the delays to the Wacol centre, and used its opening on Saturday morning to criticise their record on youth crime.
Loading
“This remand centre is one of the first steps to addressing the youth crime crisis that started under Labor, and providing the facilities and infrastructure needed to keep our community safe,” Gerber said.
“For a decade, Labor let youth crime spiral out of control and sat on their hands while youth recidivism skyrocketed and capacity in our youth detention centres reached breaking point.”
Despite Gerber’s comments, data has shown a consistent decrease in youth crime in Queensland over the past two decades, with Queensland Police Service findings released in August last year showing youth crime rates had fallen to near-record lows.
Advertisement
The Wacol Youth Remand Centre will be serviced by 180 staff, including health workers, and offer support to prevent future incarceration.
“Youth offenders will have access to education and rehabilitation programs inside the centre to develop the skills they need to have a productive future, but there will also be clear consequences for actions,” Gerber said.
“Youth who choose to commit the most serious crimes will serve the time under ‘adult crime, adult time’, but with effective early intervention and intensive rehabilitation programs, we are giving them the best chance to turn their lives around.”
The $260 million remand centre will officially start housing youths from late next week.
Loading
Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie said the facility would free-up capacity in the state’s watchhouses, which have been widely deemed unsuitable to detain youths.
“We all agree that watchhouses are not the best place to keep our young offenders,” Purdie said.
“We believe that the time they spend here [in the remand centre] will be probably more beneficial to them than being in watchhouses.”
Premier David Crisafulli announced a funding extension in December to continue housing children in the Caboolture Watchhouse until the end of 2025.
The watchhouse was implemented as an “interim solution” to house young offenders by the Labor government amid capacity concerns in 2023.
Start the day with a summary of the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.