Children were held in adult prison watch houses more than 300 times in Tasmania over the last financial year, according to information obtained by the Greens.
The figures, released through a right to information request, show there were 306 instances of young people being detained in adult watch houses, with one child held for 55 hours.
Children as young as 12 and 13 were kept in the facilities.
Greens spokesperson Cecily Rosol said the situation was unacceptable, more than a year after the Custodial Inspector recommended children stop being held in adult watch houses.
“Over 300 children kept in adult watch houses where they’re exposed to really terrible conditions,” she said.
“They’ve described some of what they experience and it includes being abused verbally by other people being held in the watch houses and in the reception prisons and it’s a scary situation for them.”
Rosol said the government had promised to develop alternatives but had taken no meaningful action in 12 months.
“If they haven’t even got alternatives available yet for consideration, they’re not doing this work quickly enough,” she said.
She also criticised the government for being unable to say during budget estimates how many children had been held in adult watch houses.
She called for bail alternatives and dedicated facilities where children could be kept between arrest and either release or transfer to a detention centre.
When asked about the issue today, government minister Kerry Vincent said the court system placed young people in watch houses, not the state government.
He said it appeared to be a problem “most states are dealing with at the moment”.
“There’s a lot of work still to be done on how this could be done better for young people and the whole system all around.”
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has said children should not be held in adult custodial facilities.
