NT govt won't support remote boot camps
The Northern Territory government has ruled out long-term remote boot camps for young offenders and has no plans to establish a Darwin-based youth residential rehabilitation program.
Territory Families says it's unlikely to replace detention alternative BushMob's program at Loves Creek, 90km east of Alice Springs, which announced it would shut down in July blaming security and safety issues leading to breakouts.
"The evidence across the board is long-term isolated wilderness type camps (are) not effective," Deputy Chief Executive Officer Operations Jeanette Kerr told AAP.
"You're isolating young people from their networks and their connections in the outside world."
Ms Kerr said there may be future scope for facilities that are "not too distanced from urban centres, where there's services and schools and sport, or in fact detention centres that have an education and vocational training focus".
"What has been shown to be a lot more successful is things like Operation Flinders," she said.
The youth justice boss says there are "promising" results from this eight-day early intervention bush camp for at-risk children, which began in October in tandem with youth outreach worker case management.
BushMob's 20-bed rehab centre in Alice Springs is the NT's only government-funded urban residential facility, and helps 12 to 25-year-olds recovering from drug or alcohol abuse from as far afield as Arnhem Land in the Top End.
But Ms Kerr said a Darwin version wasn't needed as bail support accommodation could "step into that space".
Labor has invested $18 million in diversion programs this year as the child detention royal commission recommends a shift from a punitive to therapeutic justice model.
BushMob chief executive Will MacGregor said the government is responding too slowly to the inquiry's recommendations, adding the Territory needs more residential rehabilitation facilities.
"We're happy to work with anyone, anytime, anywhere, because the deal is to try to make life better for young people and stop some of the stuff that the royal commission was about," he said.
