This article contains graphic content and references to suicide.
It was a nice winter morning when we met Jayden Summerfield, an 18-year-old metalworker, at the warehouse where he works in Toowoomba, Queensland. Today, he’s making beds for a new prison under construction near the rural town of Gatton.
“It seems a little weird that I’m making things for prisons after just getting out of them,” he told The Feed.
Jayden had never been to an adult prison. But by the time he was 18, he had been through the Queensland youth justice system. He’s out of it now – but he’s still scarred by his time behind bars and in police custody.
Queensland More than anywhere else in Australia, and like Jayden, the majority of them are Aboriginal.
Before being tried, minors are held in police observation centres, cells designed for adults who have been arrested and are being processed, including drunk and disorderly persons.
It’s supposed to be temporary, but with In floods, some children spend weeks at a time in the guard house.
Since he was 11, Jayden has been to police control centers about 25 times, and to youth detention centers more than a dozen times.
The worst of all, he says, is “the box”: a small, windowless solitary cell inside a watch house, usually reserved for violent or suicidal adult offenders. In Queensland, it’s also used for children.
For many years, there have been human rights concerns about the use of adult care homes to detain and treat young offenders in Queensland. Children as young as 11 are being held for weeks at a time in these facilities.
A joint investigation by The Feed and Guardian Australia has obtained exclusive footage revealing what happens to children inside these solitary confinement cells, known as “the box”. In one case, a teenage Aboriginal girl with a severe intellectual disability was restrained by three police officers.
Part of Jayden’s job as a metal worker is building beds for adult prisons. source: SBS
In response, Queensland Police said in a statement: “Any complaints of mistreatment or inappropriate behaviour within the monitoring centre are taken seriously and will be the subject of an investigation.”
Police said they were assessing the risks to which children in custody might be exposed and taking into account their health and mental health needs. They added that solitary confinement was used for offenders who posed a danger to themselves or others and needed to be isolated.
“If a person becomes violent, aggressive or exhibits disruptive behavior, the use of a violent holding cell is considered beneficial to help ensure the safety and well-being of the person, the guard shelter staff and other persons in custody,” the statement said.
Queensland Youth Justice Minister Dee Farmer said young people were being held in probation and youth detention centres because the court deemed them a danger to themselves and the community.
“We, of course, don’t want to keep them in those centres for long periods of time, but that’s why we make sure that we have a strong system of accountability and transparency in relation to these young people who are detained there,” she said.
According to Farmer, the average time youth spent in custody last month was five and a half hours. The longest period was 17 days.
Inside the watch house
Jayden was 11 years old when he was first placed in a monitoring center. He said the longest he spent there was two and a half weeks straight.
“It gives you a headache. You feel like you’ve been there for months. You don’t even know what day it is,” he said.
“You feel like you’re dead – it’s not a good place to be.”
Conditions in the guardhouses varied, Jayden said. Some cells had only thin mattresses and a toilet. The concrete cells were cold — especially in the winter.
“You usually hope that they give you two blankets so that you can at least put one as a sheet and then one as a blanket. Because if you sleep with just that blanket on your skin, you’re going to get a rash.”
When asked about the food, he replied, “It depends on how hungry you are. But it’s very bad.”
Jayden said he often had to share the small space with four or five other boys. They would talk or sleep to pass the time. He would read a book if he could get one.
“Sometimes they give it to you, you just have to ask for it,” he said. “There’s nothing else you can do unless you’re in a cell with a TV — just lie down.” [sic] “And even with TVs, you can’t even hear your own voice from your cell phone. So you’re just watching a screen.”
If there are no books or TV, he will just lie down and try to sleep.
He said sleeping was difficult because of the stress of not knowing how long he would be detained, and the discomfort of sleeping on a concrete floor.
Jay Dunn’s life is back on track after his time in the guard houses, but he still bears scars from that time. source: SBS
Jayden said he was put in solitary confinement “a few times,” and it was worse than being in a regular cell. The rooms were small, windowless, and without a toilet or mattress.
“All you do is just sit there and think… waiting for it to go away. It makes time go slower. Ten minutes feels like an hour or two,” he recalls.
He alleged that isolation cells were often used as punishment when children behaved inappropriately in the observation room.
“Most of the time [children were put into isolation cells]“It would be something stupid,” he said.
“Most of the people I’ve seen go there, none of them are trying to hurt themselves. They’re always going to argue with the cops or something.”
Life after the watch house
Jayden said his life is better now. He has a full-time job and a place to live. But memories of his time in the guardhouse still haunt him.
It is believed that probation and youth detention do not deter youth from committing crimes.
“I know young people who have been in prison for a year. Within a week, they started committing crimes. It’s not about building more prisons and making time harder. It’s about investing more in youth justice, helping young people who are trying to stop committing crimes.”
You are who you are around, so if you are trying, you will not be very good if you are surrounded by criminals who do drugs.
Tim Spaul, a Gigga man who worked as a psychologist in Brisbane, uses equine therapy with Aboriginal children – many of whom have been through the juvenile justice system.
Tim Spaul is a Gig man who uses horses as therapy for kids who have been through the juvenile justice system. source: SBS
He said he lost count of the number of children he worked with who committed suicide: “More than 50, closer to a hundred.”
“For some kids, they really see it as their only option to escape whatever experience they’re trying to overcome,” Spall said.
He said many of the indigenous children he works with have become disconnected from their community and culture.
“They are really struggling with their own identity. [and] “They feel like they belong to a community. Especially First Nations kids who feel judged before they even have a chance to express themselves,” he said.
Spall uses horses as a means of healing trauma and teaching children how to build attachment and trust: first with animals, then with people.
Spall uses animals as a way to help children deal with trauma and build confidence. source: SBS
Like Jayden, he doesn’t believe the juvenile justice system deters young people from committing crimes. In fact, he believes it encourages recidivism, making kids feel unwanted in society.
“Society basically tells them they are criminals. Once they get into this system, they identify themselves as criminals, and that trajectory continues,” he said.
Spall said the justice system should focus on keeping children out of foster care to prevent them from entering the adult criminal system.
“There is no such thing as a bad child, only traumatized children.”
“They weren’t born naughty, something happened. If we want to change that, we have to identify what that is and build on that.”
Readers looking for crisis support can call the Helpline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Contact Service on 1300 659 467 and the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people up to 25 years). More mental health information and support is available at beyondblue.org.au and on 1300 22 4636.
If you or someone you know is experiencing or at risk of domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.
If you or someone you know is feeling anxious or unwell, we encourage you to call 13YARN on 13 92 76 and speak to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis supporter.
Original Counselling Services can be contacted on 0410 539 905.
