Queensland is spending tens of millions to jail more children behind bars than any other jurisdiction in the nation with no impact on community safety, a report says.
There were 219 inmates under the age of 17 in detention in June compared to 172 in 2014, according to a Justice Reform Initiative report released on Tuesday.
Nine out of 10 haven’t been sentenced, and two in three are Indigenous despite that cohort making up less than 10 per cent of the state’s child population.
The Queensland government spends $1880 (US$1257) per day or about $686,127 per year to keep each child behind bars, with the overall cost of youth detention about $183 million in 2021….