Basics of youth detention

When a court sentences your child to time in custody, or if your child is refused bail, they go to a youth detention centre.

Youth detention centres are secure places for people aged 10 to 18. They exist to:

• protect the safety of the community
• provide consequences for offending
• prepare detained young people to live productively in the community.

Locations

Queensland has 3 youth detention centres:

• Brisbane Youth Detention Centre—99 Wolston Park Road, Wacol
• Cleveland Youth Detention Centre—27-79 Old Common Road, Belgian Gardens, Townsville
• West Moreton Youth Detention Centre—99 Wolston Park Road, Wacol.

Visiting

We encourage you to visit your child in a detention centre. Regular visits from family and friends help young people reintegrate with the community once they’re released.

If you live a long way from the centre, centre staff can arrange for you to have a virtual visit with your child via video conference.

Phone calls

You can speak to your child on the phone while they’re in detention. However, your child must call you. You won’t be able to call them unless it’s an emergency.

If you have to tell your child something that may upset them, let the staff know so they can support your child.

Your child is allowed 120 minutes of call time each week to talk to their family and friends. They can talk for up to 10 minutes at a time.

They can also speak to their lawyer or caseworker, or the community visitor. These calls have no time limit and don’t count towards their 120 minutes.

Your privacy

If you agree to being on a young person’s call list, your approval will apply to the young person’s current stay in youth detention as well as any future stays. You should contact the youth detention centre if you wish to withdraw your approval.

We will keep a record of:

• your name
• your telephone number
• the date and time of your phone call with the young person
• how long the phone call goes for.

This is in line with the Youth Justice Act 1992.

We will manage your personal information in line with the:

• Youth Justice Act 1992
• Information Privacy Act 2009.

For more information about our commitment to privacy, please visit our privacy page.

Letters

You can send as many letters to your child as you like. Staff at the centre check all letters before children receive them. Staff also check any letters that your child sends to you. Staff won’t check letters to or from your child’s lawyer.

Send your letters to:

Brisbane Youth Detention Centre
PO Box 450
ARCHERFIELD BC QLD 4108

Cleveland Youth Detention Centre
27-79 Old Common Road
BELGIAN GARDENS QLD 4810

West Moreton Youth Detention Centre
PO Box 450
ARCHERFIELD BC QLD 4108

Detention centre staff

There are lots of people in a youth detention centre to help your child.

Detention centre staff are trained to work with young people. Staff help them develop their independence in a healthy way, and start to get them ready for adulthood and employment.

Staff are employed by the Queensland Government. They’re committed to providing a safe environment for your child and everyone else who enters the centre.

More information

• Read more about what happens in detention
• Find out what rights you child has in detention
• Learn about the checks made on youth detention centres