A report tabled in parliament on the treatment of young people in custody has shown up stark differences between youth justice facilities and community-based remand homes .
The report by the National Preventive Mechanism on the Optional Protocol to the United Nation’s Convention Against Torture summarises what was found during 134 announced and unannounced visits to places of detention between 2022 and 2023 done by monitoring agencies, including the Chief Ombudsman, Independent Police Conduct Authority, Mana Mokopuna Children and Young People’s Commission, and the Inspector of Service Penal Establishments.
At the 10 youth justice facilities visited, there was evidence of regular assaults and instances where staff had not proactively intervened.
Because different age groups were mixed together, younger mokopuna adopted anti-social behaviour to fit in with older peers and were reluctant to complain in case they were labelled snitches.
Low staffing levels led to punitive approaches, little understanding of cultural needs and a lack of meaningful activity for residents.
In contrast, the three community-based remand homes cultivated an environment where mokopuna were treated like whānau and supported to thrive.
They supported mokopuna to have regular contact with whānau – and facilities with a higher proportion of kaimahi Māori saw positive effects particularly when they were supported to help mokopuna learn about te ao Māori.
