Queensland will no longer send 17-year-olds to adult prisons, under new reforms announced by the Palaszczuk government today.
The move comes following the release of footage showing a 17-year-old inmate being put into a spit mask in an adult prison and a report released by Amnesty International criticising the state for its continued practice of jailing 17 year olds.
Currently there are about 50 seventeen-year-olds in Queensland’s adult prisons.
The Premier also announced her cabinet had endorsed a youth justice review looking into the practices, operation and oversight of Queensland youth detention centres.
The review will be headed up by Professor Megan Davis, a UN expert member on the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, and Kathryn McMillan QC, a QLD barrister.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said legislation would be introduced into the Queensland Parliament next week, with the change expected to become law within 12 months.
