New centre hopes to shake ugly reputation of youth detention in Northern Territory
Years late and millions of dollars over budget, the new juvenile detention centre in Darwin has had a rocky journey. It's now set to open in October, when residents of the notorious Don Dale youth justice centre will be relocated. With its state-of-the-art facilities and a focus on rehabilitation, the new centre is hoping to distance itself from the ugly reputation of youth detention in the NT.
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00:00This is the first look into the new Darwin Youth Detention Centre set to replace the disgraced Don Dale.
00:08When this facility is opened, I don't want to hear the name Don Dale again in the Northern Territory.
00:13This is about replacing what we've seen in the past, all of the bad stories, all the negative stories that are linked to that previous facility.
00:24A new approach at the 44-bed facility will focus on education and upskilling.
00:29We can work with these young offenders to break that cycle of crime and that they will leave here with skills that they didn't walk in with
00:36and they can make better choices on the outside so we don't see them here again.
00:41It's a far cry from the so-called dungeon-like conditions at Don Dale, but the CLP have plans for tougher action,
00:48lowering the age of criminal responsibility, bringing back spit hoods and sending kids to boot camps.
00:55It starts with our police needing better powers and that through dealing with the root causes of crime by getting kids to school,
01:01sending kids to boot camps, we can turn their life around and have a safer territory for everyone.
01:07It's nearing completion now, but the journey to getting this place up and running has been marred with delays.
01:13Don Dale was meant to close in 2018, this place be open in 2022, but years later it's still months off opening its doors.
01:21It has been probably longer than we'd actually hoped for, but the facility is ready for handover.
01:27Costs have also blown out over $60 million, something the Chief Minister blames on rising costs across the board.
01:35Yes, the costs are what they are. They are expensive, $130 million, but this facility will hold the Northern Territory in good stead for our young people into the future.
01:45The price to pay for a clean slate.
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