A comprehensive evidence report on Queensland's youth justice system: where the money goes, what the data shows, what communities are building, and what works around the world. 71 programs mapped. 0 media articles analysed.
On any given night, 300 young people are in QLD detention — the highest count nationally. 90% haven't been convicted.
A remand crisis, not a crime crisis
90% of young people in QLD detention are unsentenced — held on remand, not convicted. This is the highest rate nationally (72% average). QLD is not detaining convicted offenders; it is warehousing children awaiting trial at $2,714/day. This is a bail system problem.
Detention rising, community falling
Over five years, QLD detention numbers are up 50% while community supervision is down 18%. The system is structurally shifting young people from community into custody. First Nations detention rate has risen from 33 to 40 per 10,000 over four years.
QLD's First Nations youth detention rate is 46 per 10,000 — more than double the national target of 22.3. The target is assessed as “no change from baseline” nationally, but QLD is actively going backwards.
Spending has more than doubled in a decade while outcomes have worsened.
Source: ROGS 2025, Table 17A.1
Mentoring, diversion, sport, cultural programs
Case management, bail support, family intervention
Residential rehab, therapeutic care
Youth detention centres
Source: JusticeHub program cost analysis, verified March 2026. Median $5K/yr.
What the government calls early intervention vs what the money actually buys.
| Component | Amount | % of $560M | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodford Youth Detention Centre | $224M | 40% | Detention infrastructure |
| Wacol Youth Detention expansion | $94M | 17% | Detention infrastructure |
| Kickstarter Fund programs | ~$115M | 21% | Actual early intervention |
| Regional Reset programs | ~$50M | 9% | Short-stay residential + mentoring |
| Other | ~$77M | 14% | Mixed |
Source: QLD Budget SDS 2025-26; component analysis by JusticeHub
57% of 'early intervention' is detention construction
$318M of the claimed $560M early intervention budget is Woodford and Wacol detention infrastructure. Relabelling detention construction as prevention is a framing choice, not a policy one.
$104.6M with no documented rationale
The QLD Auditor-General found the co-responder program received $104.6M with no documented rationale for the spending level (QAO Report 15, 2024).
555 disclosed contracts worth $181.2M. Who receives DYJVS funding?
DYJVS contract funding by organisation type.
| Type | Total | Contracts | Orgs | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediary | $77.6M | 387 | 121 | 43% |
| Community Adjacent | $61.4M | 138 | 38 | 34% |
| Community Controlled | $42.0M | 22 | 15 | 23% |
| University | $223K | 8 | 2 | 0% |
Intermediaries receive 27x more than ACCOs
Across the broader QLD system, intermediaries received $963M in top contracts vs $36M for ACCOs. In a system where 72% of detained young people are First Nations, community-controlled organisations receive 3.7% of top contract value.
71 QLD programs mapped by evidence level. 631 evidence items across 2,065 links.
0 Proven programs in QLD
Of 71 programs, zero have Proven-level evidence. Only 2 are rated Effective. 38 remain untested. The state is spending $536M/year with almost no evidence base.
QAO: 18% of files had no evidence of rehab
The QLD Auditor-General found 18% of sampled case files had no documented evidence rehabilitation was delivered. The department measures outputs, not outcomes.
More spending, worse outcomes. Detention is a crime-production system.
The QFCC studied what happens when kids leave detention
The QFCC interviewed 66 young people and 44 workers inside the system (Exiting Youth Detention, June 2024). They found 84-96% reoffending post-detention. Young people reported programs inside detention were experienced as compliance requirements, not genuine support. The report concluded detention-based rehabilitation is fundamentally ineffective.
The data describes a system. These are the people building the alternatives. All stories from the Empathy Ledger, published with informed consent and cultural authority.
“When you're at bush, you can be yourself.”
Brodie Germaine
Pita Pita & Waka'i man, BG-FIT Founder · Mount Isa, Kalkadoon Country
From “When You're at Bush, You Can Be Yourself” · Empathy Ledger
“Speak from the heart and they will listen.”
Uncle George Leon
Kalkadoon Elder · Mount Isa
From “Speak From the Heart and They Will Listen” · Empathy Ledger
BG-FIT runs on-country camps, fitness programs, and cultural mentoring in one of QLD's most challenging youth justice environments. Uncle George provides cultural authority that no intermediary can replicate and no contract can purchase. BG-FIT is unfunded by DYJVS.3 stories, 5 transcripts in Empathy Ledger
“My name is Iris. My parents were born here on Palm Island.”
Iris
Community member · Palm Island
From “The Little Boat Called Ivy May” · Empathy Ledger
“I'm a local on Palm Island. I'm Aboriginal.”
Henry Doyle
Community member · Palm Island
From “Just Be There for Them” · Empathy Ledger
“Finding a Reason to Get Out of Bed”
The Men's Group on Palm Island — not diversion, not case management, not therapy. Men in community holding each other accountable and present. It costs almost nothing. It cannot be contracted to an intermediary.
Palm Island Men's Group
PICC demonstrates that Aboriginal communities can design, deliver, and govern comprehensive service systems. Uncle Alan (Manbarra Traditional Owner), Uncle Frank, Ruby Sibley, and 23 community members have shared their stories.10 stories, 11 transcripts in Empathy Ledger
Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council has been running Indigenous-led justice and healing on Quandamooka Country for decades — predating the current wave of government interest in “justice reinvestment.” The Quandamooka Justice and Healing Strategy centres Elders, culture, and Country rather than courts and compliance.
Led by Aunty Evie, Uncle Dale, and Aunty Maureen. Stories include “After the Flood,” “The Morning Tide,” and “Grading Day.”9 members, 3 stories, 2 transcripts in Empathy Ledger
What these communities share
Cultural authority that cannot be outsourced. Programs that don't fit government categories. Persistence without proportional funding. The $536M question is not whether these approaches work — the people in these stories are the evidence. The question is why the system sends $963M to intermediaries and $36M to the communities doing the work.
QLD's approach contradicts 40 years of international evidence. Here's what other jurisdictions have done instead.
Children (Care and Justice) Act 2024 ended youth imprisonment entirely. 97% reduction in youth custody sentences since 2008. Welfare-based responses for under-18s.
Scottish Government, Justice for Children 2024-26
Māori-led courts with tikanga process. 64% reduction in young Māori offending over 10 years. 80%+ of iwi panel participants complete their plans. Family Group Conferencing since 1989.
Youth Court of NZ; Walton (2020)
Within 6 years of the 2003 Act, youth incarceration halved. Over 90% long-term reduction. No increase in youth crime. Replaced prison with community alternatives.
Justice Canada YCJA Evaluation, 2021
Therapeutic community model vs 30-50% in traditional detention. 70%+ transition to education/employment within 6 months. €3.80 return per €1 invested.
Diagrama Foundation evaluation data
Small group homes near community replace large youth prisons. Fewer than 8% go on to adult prison. 85% positively engaged post-release. No extra cost.
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Aboriginal-led in Bourke. 23% drop in domestic violence, 31% rise in Year 12 retention. $3.1M gross impact on $0.6M cost. KPMG-validated 5:1 return.
JustReinvest NSW; KPMG Assessment
Across 48 meta-analyses covering 40 years of research: rehabilitation works (OR 1.73 for CBT-based programs), while deterrence-based approaches are slightly harmful (OR 0.85). This is settled science. QLD's current approach — more detention, harsher bail, breach-based enforcement — contradicts the entire evidence base.
International bodies, national commissions, peak organisations, and academic research all point the same direction.
Two Special Rapporteurs described QLD laws as "incompatible with basic child rights." Cited detention of children as young as 10, breach of bail laws, and conditions of confinement.
Documented children in concrete watch house cells with no natural light (Cairns) and no outdoor exercise (Murgon). Extended watch house stays exceeding legal time limits.
"Adult Crime, Adult Time" legislation violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child. No other developed nation applies adult sentencing to children under 14.
"Help Way Earlier!" report called for transforming child justice toward safety and wellbeing, away from punitive models. Identified QLD as particularly concerning.
Peer-reviewed critique in Alternative Law Journal: Making Queensland Safer Act is "punitive populism" enacted against overwhelming criminological evidence.
Submission on Electronic Monitoring Bill: "does not reduce reoffending and creates false community expectations of safety" while impeding rehabilitation.
Appointed QLD Youth Justice Peak Body (May 2024). Represents 35 community-controlled organisations. Evidence review found 56% of QLD YJ kids had prior child protection contact.
Second inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system. Major submissions from ATSILS, Law Council, AHRC, VACCA, NAPCAN. Hearing witnesses described system "in crisis."
RTI refusal rates, hidden consultancy spending, and what the ministerial diary shows.
17 statements tracked. All mention "restoring safety" and the $560M figure.
Kickstarting early intervention to make Brisbane safer
Amounts: $1 million
Kickstarting early intervention to keep Toowoomba youth out of crime
Amounts: $560 million
Kickstarting early intervention to keep youth out of crime
Amounts: $115 million
New Regional Reset program to restore safety to the Sunshine Coast
Amounts: $50 million
Stronger youth bail monitoring laws passed to restore safety where you live
Kickstarting early intervention in Cairns to keep girls out of crime
Amounts: $560 million
Fresh start for Townsville youth as program kickstarts career pathways
Stronger youth bail monitoring laws to make Queensland safer
New youth criminal rehabilitation program making Wide Bay-Burnett safer
Amounts: $225 million
New intensive early intervention program to help restore safety to Far North Queensland
Amounts: $50 million
72.9% of children in youth justice were known to child protection. The pipeline is predictable.
The pipeline is identifiable years in advance
72.9% of children in youth justice had prior child protection contact. For First Nations children: 81.2%. The children who enter youth justice at 14 are, in most cases, already known to the state at 4. Community family support at $3-8K/year could prevent the $991K/year detention pathway.
Critical data gaps that prevent evidence-based policy.
Program-level reoffending
No public data on which of 71 programs reduce reoffending. $536M spent with no outcome measurement by program.
Intermediary overhead
No public data on what % of intermediary funding reaches frontline delivery vs management fees.
ACCO vs intermediary outcomes
No systematic comparison of outcomes by org type. Would reveal whether the 27:1 funding ratio is justified.
Disability crossover
~40% estimate has no QLD-specific data. No NDIS-youth justice data linkage exists.
Kickstarter program outcomes
41 programs funded, zero independently evaluated. No published evaluation of any individual program.
Cultural safety metrics
No standardised measure of cultural safety across programs. Cannot compare program quality for First Nations young people.
What JusticeHub has built to fill these gaps: 71 programs mapped with evidence level and cost data. 631 evidence items across 2,065 links. 0 media articles with sentiment scoring. 98,404 organisations classified by control type. The missing half is outcome data — which only the department can provide or mandate.
This report is part of a wider intelligence system. Explore the data, the stories, and the organisations.
QLD Justice Overview
Full QLD spending by source, top funded orgs, Indigenous org table, governance network
National Intelligence
All-Australia evidence overview, state-by-state comparison, cost equation
Townsville Regional
Palm Island, PICC, North QLD programs and funding flows
Organisation Directory
1,000 QLD orgs including 282 Indigenous organisations
Funder Landscape
Portfolio comparison, evidence profiles, and funding allocation analysis
Intelligence Hub
All reports, regional deep dives, and the evidence library
Queensland spends $536 million per year on youth justice. 90% of detained children are unsentenced. Reoffending is going up, not down. Post-detention reoffending is 84-96%.
Scotland has ended youth imprisonment entirely. Canada halved youth incarceration with no crime increase. New Zealand's Rangatahi Courts reduced Māori reoffending. Maranguka in Bourke delivered a 5:1 return on Aboriginal-led justice reinvestment.
In Queensland, intermediaries receive 27x more funding than the communities doing the work. Palm Island runs 21 programs, 100% Aboriginal-led. BG-FIT in Mount Isa runs on community energy. MMEIC on Minjerribah has been doing justice reinvestment for decades.
The question is not whether alternatives exist. It's why QLD continues to invest in a system that every piece of evidence says doesn't work.
EXPLORE THE DATA
Data: ROGS 2025, AIHW 2023-24 & 2025, QAO Report 15, QFCC (Crossover Cohort, Exiting Detention, EM Bill), QLD Contract Disclosure, Ministerial Diary, Senate Inquiry, UN OHCHR, HRW, Amnesty. Stories: Empathy Ledger (published with informed consent and cultural authority). Built by JusticeHub. Senate inquiry reports June 2026.