Death in WA Youth Detention - Accountability Gaps
What was at stake
Youth justice
What happened
Last week, a 17-year-old boy died by self-harm in his cell at Banksia Hill Detention Centre in Western Australia, marking the second death of a child in the state’s youth detention system in less than a year. The previous death was 16-year-old Cleveland Dodd in October 2023 at Unit 18 in Casuarina adult prison. The 17-year-old, a ward of the state with a disability, was repeatedly detained since age 11 and experienced routine solitary confinement, verbal abuse, excessive force, and pepper spray, which are incompatible with trauma-informed care.
What the court decided
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