Queensland’s watch houses, intended primarily as short-term detention facilities for adult detainees, have turned into toxic spaces for vulnerable populations, especially children. With 63 facilities stretched across the state, more than 78,000 prisoners cycled through these holding cells in 2024. Alarmingly, children as young as 11 are often kept in limbo in these poorly ventilated facilities for months, if not years.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Queensland government recently undertook a review of the watch houses. Their results uncovered critical deficiencies in design and operation. It made 34 recommendations, including calling on the government to commit to a maximum length of stay for any prisoner—with an emphasis on children. Those results raised the alarm about our policies toward youth. All too often, they’re routinely re-detained or sentenced to long stays in these jails.
In Queensland watch houses, the average length of confinement for children is 161 hours—over six days. Instead, they do this time in 6ft by 9ft concrete cells, deprived of adequate education, time outdoors and socialization. As the review notes, longer placements of more than 2 weeks—even many months—are typical. Unlike jails, these facilities are intended for short-term detainment, typically no longer than 72 hours. Thousands of unaccompanied minors find themselves marooned in these toxic temp camps for weeks-on-end.
Watch-houses are unsafe environments for particularly vulnerable populations, wrote the review. It brought to the fore the message that the status quo is not working when it comes to addressing the needs of women, girls, and children. In reality, one in four all allegations logged in watch houses are for assault/excessive use of force. Alarmingly, nearly a quarter of these events involve children in detention.
These darkening clouds, cast by the alarming eyesores inside watch houses, have driven grassroots advocacy organizations and enraged New Orleanians to work angrily together. Debbie Kilroy, chief executive of Sisters Inside, condemned the situation, asserting that “Queensland’s watch houses are dangerous, degrading, and unfit for any human being, let alone children.”
Children who are forced to spend extended time in watch houses suffer deep psychological and emotional trauma. This can lead to greater anxiety, anguish and even a risk of suicide,” it said. The review underscored that prolonged stays in these facilities would result in heightened non-compliance rates amongst incarcerated persons.
The report’s findings coincide with recent announcements from Queensland’s Police Minister Dan Purdie, who revealed a $16 million funding initiative aimed at upgrading watch house facilities. Although this funding is intended to help address these issues, many believe it’s insufficient. Advocacy groups say these proposals don’t go far enough, and are pushing for more radical changes.
“At this moment—even as we circulate this report—children are trapped in these concrete boxes beneath these lights, lacking an education, privacy, and access to the outdoors. This is not a question of capacity—it is a question of cruelty,” said one advocacy leader.
Shirley’s review highlighted that the current built environment is mainly designed with adult males as the default user. Consequently, women prisoners are frequently deprived of adequate, gender-responsive healthcare services.
One official commended the watch house officers for their tireless work. Their leadership in dealing with tough circumstances with hard people in the watch houses. That’s exactly why we’re willing to act to make our community safe. This tactic is designed to get the worst of the worst offenders off the street – keeping Queenslanders safe.
Opponents argue that even maintaining security does not excuse the found conditions that infringe on the humanity of vulnerable communities being detained. The reform momentum is still building, as reformers call for aileron reform to end the inhumane treatment of all detainees. The review’s subsequent recommendations call for a fundamental rethink of Queensland’s justice system’s relationship with its most vulnerable citizens.
