WYNDHAM EAST KIMBERLEY SHIRE PRESIDENT CALLS FOR ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION FOR YOUTH OFFENDERS

BY CONRAD MACLEAN

David Menzel. Credit: Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley.

Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley President David Menzel has said alternatives to incarceration should be implemented for young offenders following a major riot at Perth's Banksia Hill Youth Detention Facility earlier this week.

“Half the kids that are down there probably are suffering from medical and mental health issues that would suggest that incarceration in a detention centre is not the right place for them,” Mr Menzel said.

“We really need to get to work on our remote and regional areas in getting better health and mental health diagnoses.”

Mr Menzel said it was important to find solutions that empower and support kids at home.

“Locking them up in these facilities is not looking like [an effective] way to rehabilitate them,” he said.

Listen below to hear Mr Menzel speak to Ngaarda Media about Banksia Hill and an emergency meeting held in Kununurra this week to discuss youth crime.