Teenagers in police cells with no food, lighting
Teenagers and children are spending nights locked in police cells without food, lighting and in close proximity to adult prisoners — a growing issue the Children’s Commissioner says is “totally unacceptable”.
Figures revealed by Amnesty International showed 165 teens aged under 18 were held in police cells for more than 24 hours in March, up from 62 in June 2014. In June last year that number spiked to 284.
The average time young people spent in a cell also increased from 1.8 days to 2.6 days.
Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft said remanding children in adult police cells was playing with fire.
“I’m terribly concerned this practice has gone on for this long, especially after it has attracted severe criticism from the United Nations,” Becroft told the Herald on Sunday.
“There is a real risk of self harm and even that a young person would take their own life.”
Becroft had been on the front lines of such a tragedy.
“I had to conduct a coronial inquest where a 17-year-old boy who was said to be no suicide risk took his own life in a suicide-proof cell. It was devastating for everyone.
“It brought home to me just how vulnerable and unexpected under18s could be and that’s not something that should be messed with.”
Police Superintendent Chris Scahill said police recognised it was not appropriate for young people to be held in cells and were working closely with Oranga Tamariki to ensure that a police cell was an absolute last resort for a young offender.
“Police have a responsibility to stop people harming themselves and others in the community. On occasion, this may mean that a young person must be held in a police cell for a short period of time.”
Becroft, in alliance with Amnesty International, said legislation should be amended so that holding young people in cells was not an option.
Under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, police cells were one of five options available to the Youth Court when deciding where to remand a young person pending their hearing.
There’s no limit on the amount of time a young person can be held in police custody under the Act.
Annaliese Johnston, advocacy and policy manager at Amnesty International New Zealand, said it was unacceptable that so many were spending several days in police cells, particularly before they had been found guilty of an offence.
“Extended detention in these conditions can lead to long-term physical, mental and emotional harm and the very real risk of self-harm.”
Lack of beds in youth justice residences has been cited as one of the main reasons behind the high figures.
Johnston said Oranga Tamariki had been working towards increasing capacity in suitable and safe community-based residences.
Amnesty International New Zealand will raise the issue at New Zealand’s Universal Periodic Review before the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva in early 2019.