Child Solitary Confinement - Heinous in the home, policy in the prisons.
Ending child solitary confinement is urgent and essential
When we speak out, we’re not just demanding dignity for children behind bars - we’re challenging a system that normalises cruelty. By refusing to stay silent, we help dismantle practices that isolate, traumatise, and dehumanise kids who need care, not cages.
What’s Happening In Your State?
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New South Wales
Solitary confinement remains routine in NSW youth justice centres, with hundreds of children isolated each year, some for over 24 hours.
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Queensland
Solitary confinement is widespread in QLD’s youth detention system. Hundreds of children have been locked alone for weeks or months, and often for mere administrative reasons.
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Victoria
Victoria is the only state that has taken a legal step toward ending child solitary confinement - but the work is far from over. There is still no national standard to protect children.
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South Australia
Children in SA are being locked in cells for up to 23 hours at a time. Staff shortages and week safeguards mean isolation is happening more often than the law intends.
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Western Australia
Solitary confinement is still legal in WA despite courts having found it to be unlawful. Children are still being locked and isolated for weeks at a time with no sign of a statewide ban.
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Tasmania
Children in Tasmania are still being locked in cells for up to 23 hours a day. Despite a national inquiry findings this was a serious violation of their human rights, the system remains unchanged.