27 October: A teenage boy who tried to escape from Parkville Juvenile Justice Centre in July was held in solitary confinement for almost four months.
Victorian lawyers and the Child Safety Commissioner have raised serious concerns about a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy who was held in solitary confinement at one of the state’s adult jails.
The teen spent nearly four months in solitary confinement at the Charlotte maximum security unit inside Port Phillip Prison while under the protection of the Department of Human Services (DHS).
The teenager spent 22 hours a day in solitary confinement. The other two hours of the day were spent handcuffed in an exercise yard.
Director of the Law Institute of Victoria, Michael Holcroft, is highly critical of the case.
“It’s a form of torture. It’s the same sort of thing that happened to David Hicks in Guantanamo Bay,” he said. Continue reading “Melbourne: Aboriginal teen kept in solitary confinement”