Official visitors in youth detention centres
Official visitors are appointed members of the community who visit:
Their role is to provide independent assessments of the treatment and conditions of young people in NT youth detention.
Appointment
They are appointed by the minister responsible for youth justice and are independent from the youth justice system and government departments.
An official visitor is appointed by the minister for 3 years.
Responsibilities
Official visitors do all of the following:
- visit a youth detention centre once a month
- meet with youth detainees to identify, and where possible, address concerns
- provide a report about the visit in writing to the minister within 2 weeks of each visit
- consider the Youth Justice Act 2005 and regulations when preparing reports.
They must not interfere with or instruct on how young people are controlled or managed.
Contact
For more information, email Youth Justice Operations at doc.youthjusticeunit@nt.gov.au.