2018-03-06
The Victorian Greens have reaffirmed their opposition to the large scale youth detention centre proposed at Cherry Creek.
Submissions to the Inquiry into Youth Justice Centres in Victoria (report tabled today) suggest the type of facility proposed is not conducive to rehabilitation.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens MLC for the South Eastern Metropolitan region, Nina Springle.
“Children should leave youth justice centres in a better life position than when they enter, and the Greens have very real concerns the proposal at Cherry Creek will do the opposite.”
“Building another facility of this magnitude risks stereotyping young offenders as hardened criminals, especially considering Labor’s history of reclassifying maximum security adult prisons so they can hold teenagers.”
“As well as having access to education and rehabilitation services, centres should be small, located in or near young people’s communities, staffed by highly specialised professionals and focused on maintaining normal routines to avoid children being further stigmatised as criminals.”
“The last thing we should be doing is mirroring conditions of large-scale prisons. This is not the type of environment that leaves a child or young person ready to enter the community again, and may increase chances of re-offending.”Scrap Cherry Creek plan