Locking Up Kids: Australia’s failure to protect children in detention
“I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” 14-year-old boy in detention
Fourteen-year-old ‘Steve’ was in solitary confinement inside Perth’s Banksia Hill Detention Centre when he was subjected to a commonly used restraint known as ‘folding up’. An officer twisted his legs into a figure four before sitting on top of him. The practice is banned in other youth detention centres because of the risk of suffocation and death.
‘It is excruciating. It is painful. And the children cry out for help, ‘Stop, stop, stop’. . . . And it continues.” Mental health worker
On Monday Four Corners will show for the first time the dangerous restraining practice used by Western Australian officers on children. Reporter Grace Tobin has obtained exclusive footage from inside Banksia Hill.
“He’s screaming out, he’s telling them he can’t breathe. I’ve never heard my son scream like that before.” Mother of 14-year-old
Ten youth detention officers are currently under investigation over allegations of excessive force. The families of detained children have told Four Corners mistreatment inside the youth detention centre is widespread.
“I want people to see it to understand that these young boys are in pain, they’re hurting, and they need to be believed that these things are happening to them,” Grandmother of detainee.
Four Corners will also reveal the ongoing mistreatment of children inside the notorious Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in the Northern Territory. It comes 6 years since the program first exposed the abuses of children inside the facility which resulted in a royal commission calling for its closure.
“I’ve seen incidences which have quite frankly shocked me.” Children’s commissioner
Australia is one of the only countries in the developed world to still lock up children as young as 10, a position condemned by human rights advocates.
“In 100 years’ time, people are going to look at us and say, “They’d lock kids up who were 10 and 11 and 12? What were they thinking to do with this?” We’ll be considered barbarians by future generations because we lock 10-year-olds up.” Former Royal Commissioner
It is replayed on Tuesday 15th November at 11.00pm and Wednesday 16th November at 10am. It can also been seen on ABC NEWS channel on Saturday at 8.10pm AEST, ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.
FOUR CORNERS: LOCKING UP KIDS – Monday 14th November 2022 at 8:30pm on ABC and iview
Media Release – ABC
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