ACT OICS Children & Young People Isolation Expectations published

Our office recently tabled a report on the use isolation at Bimberi Youth Justice Centre. In preparation for the review/pilot NPM visit we developed detailed Isolation Expectations to guide our visit, which we are publishing for Human Rights Day 2023.

This document draws on international human rights law and other authoritative sources to provide detailed Expectations in respect of limiting the use of isolation for children and young people in detention, and safeguards that should be in place when isolation is used. It is intended that this document be used as a guide to better practices in upholding the rights of children and young people in detention. It can be used by detaining authorities, monitoring bodies and other stakeholders to guide improvements in this area. These Expectations are additional to our existing youth detention standards which cover all aspects of detention.

We would like to acknowledge the feedback that we received on these Expectations from Sharon Shalev, Barbara Causon and Jodie Griffiths-Cook. These standards are intended to be a living document, informed by research and best practice as it continually develops. With this in mind, we welcome questions or feedback from stakeholders in the ACT, across Australia, and internationally.

You can find the Expectations here.