The National Justice Project has welcomed the establishment of a Senate Inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system following the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee announcement last week.
Principal Solicitor of the National Justice Project Emma Hearne also welcomed an invitation from the inquiry for our human rights legal firm to make a submission following many years of advocacy on this important issue.
“This inquiry is long overdue and we join the chorus of advocates who have been calling for action, real action, to tackle injustices against young people in Australian juvenile prisons and in particular the many injustices suffered in our incarceration system by First Nations people,” Ms Hearne said.
“We have grown increasingly alarmed by the appalling standard of healthcare provided in correctional centres for young people as well as the lack of culturally safe and trauma informed care afforded to First Nations Peoples which are just some of the many factors that continue to contribute to deaths in custody.
“We look forward to making a submission to the Senate Inquiry and its terms of reference covering the outcomes and impacts of youth incarceration in jurisdictions across Australia, especially the over-incarceration of First Nations children, as well as our international obligations and compliance with the human rights of children and young people in detention.
“The Senate Inquiry also follows the National Child Commissioner’s report into child justice that called for a national inquiry to help shine a light on failures in our child justice system.
“The National Justice Project was proud to contribute a submission to this report by the Australian Human Rights Commission and we made specific references to the increasing rates of First Nations children being removed from their families which represents profoundly troubling parallels to the Stolen Generations,” Ms Hearne said.
The closing date for submissions to the Senate Inquiry is 10 October 2024 with a report due to be released by 26 November 2024. Find out more here
The National Justice Project’s submission to the National Child Commissioner’s Report ‘Help way earlier! – transforming child justice’ can be read here.
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