Youth Justice Services

Banksia Hill is the only detention centre for offenders aged 10 to 17 years in WA. It accommodates young males and females from all over WA who:

• have been sentenced to a period of detention
• have been arrested and are waiting for a first Court appearance or bail determination
• are waiting for their court case if they have been denied bail, or
• are waiting to be sentenced after conviction.

In some cases, where required by law or directed by the Children's Court, a young person aged over 17 may also be held at Banksia Hill instead of an adult prison.

Young people at Banksia Hill take part in activities such as school, training and regular exercise, that they would normally take part in at home in the community.

Young people in detention aged 17 and under will attend school. Those above school age can continue their studies or take part in training aimed at helping them get a job on the outside once they are released. Some young people may also be involved in psychological or social development programs to help them to develop life skills.

It is very important young people experience a 'normal' lifestyle while in detention. Some young people are not used to going to bed at the same time each night, or getting permission from adults to do things, so this can be a new lifestyle for them. It is important for young people to learn these things so they can lead law-abiding lifestyles.

The young people are also given a lot of structured and unstructured recreation time after usual school hours and on weekends for sport and other activities.

JJTs make sure young people are held accountable for their offending behaviour. Referrals are generated by police or the Children's Court. JJTs arrange meetings with the young person, their families, victims and police to find out the best way a young person can make up for their offence. This is called an action plan. If a young person successfully completes the action plan they will not receive a criminal record.

JJTs may also offer a court conferencing service for young people with more serious offending backgrounds to encourage them to start an action plan before being sentenced to show their willingness and ability to change their behaviour. Referrals to Court Conferencing are only made by the Children's Court and there usually needs to be a known victim willing to participate in the process.

Services currently operate in the Goldfields, Mid-West Gascoyne, West Kimberley, East Kimberley and the Pilbara regions.

Regional Youth Justice Services offer:

• management of young people on community orders
• an extended-hours family support service (pdf) for young people at risk of offending and those who commit minor offences
• an extended-hours bail service (pdf) to help police find a responsible adult to provide bail for young people who are eligible for bail
• emergency short-stay accommodation for young people who have been given bail but have no-one to bail them and nowhere to go
• a dedicated juvenile justice team (pdf) to help young people in the early stages of offending and keep them away from the formal justice system
• psychological support.