Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre

Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre (also known as Adelaide Youth Training Centre or Kurlana Tapa – "New Path" [1]) is a youth detention centre at two campuses in Cavan, an industrial northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is operated by the Government of South Australia Department of Human Services, unlike adult prisons which are operated by the Department for Correctional Services. It is the only dedicated youth detention centre in South Australia.

Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre
Kurlana Tapa
LocationCavan
Coordinates
StatusOperational
Capacity
  • 36 (Jonal Drive)
  • 60 (Goldsborough Road)
Opened
  • 1993 (Jonal Drive)
  • 2012 (Goldsborough Road)
Managed bySouth Australian Department of Human Services
CityAdelaide
State/provinceSouth Australia
Postal code5094
CountryAustralia

History

Jonal Drive campus came into operation in 1993. Subsequently, the Goldsborough Road site was established in 2012 and replaced the Magill Youth Training Centre.[2] The remaining residents in Jonal Drive campus was transferred to Goldsborough Road campus in August 2019.[3]

Treatment of residents

The Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre has come under scrutiny multiple times since beginning operations due to allegations of failing to provide adequate care to its residents.[4][5][6][7] In 2019, a report from the Committee on the Rights of the Child highlighted that Australia's youth services are deficient in resources and can potentially harm the young individuals they are meant to safeguard.[8] A 2020 South Australian Ombudsman report found that a youth was detained in solitary confinement like conditions for more than 22 hours per day for five consecutive days.[9] It was also reported that the centre had "inadequate" staffing and resourcing which led to children held there denied access to education, phone calls to lawyers and medical treatment.[4] In 2023, reports surfaced once more about conditions resembling solitary confinement taking place at the facility.[10] Despite acceptance of the report presented in the Parliament, the issues continued through till 2023.[5][6]

Campus

Jonal Drive campus

The Jonal Drive campus came into operation in 1993. It housed males aged between 10 and 14 years, and females aged between 10 and 20 years until August 2019, when the remaining inmates were transferred to Goldsborough Road. This was to initially be a six-month trial with the Jonal Drive facility retained and available if additional capacity is required,[3] It has a capacity of 36 beds.[11]

Goldsborough Road campus

The Goldsborough Road campus was established in 2012 and replaced the Magill Youth Training Centre.[2] It has a capacity of 60 beds.[11] In August 2019, the remaining residents at Jonal Drive Campus were transferred to here.[3]

References
  1. "Adelaide Youth Training Centre - Kurlana Tapa". Young people and the law. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  2. "Youth detention centre 'vast improvement'". ABC News. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  3. Eccles, David (25 July 2019). "Females, juveniles to share Adelaide detention centre with older males". InDaily. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  4. Steph (23 July 2020). "Youth justice watchdog reveals "uncomfortable" findings from prison review". InDaily. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  5. Steph (12 May 2023). "Justice denied: Lawyers claim breaches of SA child detainee rights". InDaily. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  6. Collard, Sarah (1 July 2023). "Lawyer claims she wasn't told for months that Aboriginal teen tried to take her life in youth detention". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  7. "You're 10 years old and you've been sent to youth detention. Here's what happens next". ABC News. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  8. "Dual-Status-CYP-in-SA-A-Perfect-Storm.pdf" (PDF). gcyp.sa.gov.au. 1 November 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  9. SA, Ombudsman (19 January 2021). "Department of Human Services – Investigation into the treatment of young people in the Adelaide Youth Training Centre". Ombudsman SA. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  10. "'Genuine hurt': Watchdog raises concerns over SA youth detention isolation". ABC News. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  11. "Adelaide Youth Training Centre (AYTC) - Kurlana Tapa". Government of South Australia Department of Human Services. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
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