REON SUDDABY
The crisis over youths stuck in police cells while on remand has led to a high-level meeting to discuss the issue, with temporary solutions including greater use of supervised bail, supported bail in the community, better use of existing beds, and ankle bracelets.
Officials from the Police Department, Ministry of
Justice, Child, Youth and Family (CYFS) and the Children's Commission discussed the issue a day before a placement was finally found for a 15-year-old youth stuck in Hastings police cells for a week.
Also discussed was the possibility of previously closed health or education facilities being modified to suit young offenders. Plans are in place to build a new 24-bed youth justice facility in the Bay of Plenty or Waikato, but a site is yet to be confirmed.
In the Hastings Youth Court yesterday, the 15-year-old's youth advocate, Don Kennedy, said a bed had been found at the Northern youth justice facility. Mr Kennedy had earlier argued against the youth being kept in the cells when a secure facility, run by Hastings woman Karen Nicol, was available.
He said although CYFS had said they had no choice, he knew an available placement wasn't used because of "fiscal reasons". Yesterday he said he had indicated to the supervisor of youth justice at CYFS in Hastings that he expected Ms Nicol's facility to considered for use in the future..
However, Crown prosecutor Jo Hill, representing CYFS, said Ms Nicol's premises were not a "secure facility", because youths sent for detention purposes needed 24-hour supervision by a minder.
Judge Russell Callander ordered a family group conference and remanded the youth to next appear in court on June 12.
