Calls for conjugal visits for teenagers at Bimberi are a surprising and ''provocative'' distraction from more pressing needs at the youth justice centre, the children's rights commissioner says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The idea of conjugal visits for detainees at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre was first raised by Michael Levy, a doctor working at the youth justice centre and the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Dr Levy said most teenagers at Bimberi were sexually active, and had histories of drug use, putting them at high risk of hepatitis C and other diseases.
He said the idea warranted public debate, and said authorities were reluctant to admit there was even a problem.
But the ACT Children and Young People Commissioner Alasdair Roy said the calls for conjugal visits ''came out of left field'' and distracted from more pressing issues in youth justice identified in a comprehensive review by the Human Rights Commission last year.
''There's a lot of work that needs to be done in youth justice and in Bimberi, and a lot of good work is happening as a result of that review,'' he said. ''I was just surprised that this in a sense came out of left field, and … was almost provocative and sensationalistic.
''In some sense, if people talk about this and focus on this, they don't focus on the other issues, which I think are probably more important.''
He said attention should be paid to improving programs to support rehabilitation, education, diversion, prevention, and high rates of indigenous detention.
The idea of conjugal visits failed to gather political support on Wednesday.
Community Services Minister Joy Burch said the issue had not been raised during the comprehensive review of youth justice by the Human Rights Commission and that the government would not be considering the idea. The Greens also distanced themselves from the idea.