Data obtained by the ABC under Freedom of Information laws shows 503 children and teenagers were taken into custody in NT watch houses between March and September 2025, across 934 separate custody incidents.
An increase of more than 100 children compared with the previous six months. More than 90 per cent were Aboriginal children.
Community-led approaches like the justice reinvestment program on Groote Eylandt are delivering strong results, with significant declines in offending.
Group conferencing is another alternative to imprisonment that the evidence shows is much more effective at reducing re-offending when compared with imprisonment. The NT Government should be investing in these evidence-based approaches rather than expanding the number of children in custody.
The Northern Territory Government must end the detention of children in police watch houses and increase transparency around the number of children in detention, says Jesuit Social Services.
The call comes after the release of confidential police data showing a sharp increase in the number of children held in Territory watch house cells. Data obtained by the ABC under Freedom of Information laws shows 503 children and teenagers were taken into custody in NT watch houses between March and September 2025, across 934 separate custody incidents – an increase of more than 100 children compared with the previous six months. More than 90 per cent were Aboriginal children.
“These figures should shock every Australian. Hundreds of children – overwhelmingly Aboriginal children – are being locked in windowless police cells with the lights on 24 hours a day. Watch houses are not designed to hold children, and no child belongs in one,” says Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards.
“This surge is the predictable outcome of the Northern Territory Government’s decision to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 and to harden bail laws. Imprisoning more children – especially in facilities that are entirely unsuitable for them – is not a sign of success, but proof of systemic failure.”
Ms Edwards said the absence of publicly available data on children in watch houses, and NT Police’s admission that its records of how long children are held cannot be relied upon, raised serious questions about transparency and accountability. At an estimates hearing in June, the Corrections Department confirmed that a clear majority of young people in detention were also on remand.
“There is no regular public reporting on how many children are held in watch houses or for how long. This information should not require lengthy and expensive Freedom of Information processes to see the light of day. When the state takes a child into custody, it takes on a profound responsibility – and the community has a right to know how that responsibility is being exercised.
“We know what works to reduce offending by children, and it is not locking 10 and 11 year olds in police cells. Community-led approaches like the justice reinvestment program on Groote Eylandt are delivering strong results, with significant declines in offending. Group conferencing is another alternative to imprisonment that the evidence shows is much more effective at reducing re-offending when compared with imprisonment. The NT Government should be investing in these evidence-based approaches rather than expanding the number of children in custody.
“The trends in the Northern Territory are extremely troubling – we have seen accountability institutions sidelined and ignored, to the point that the Children’s Commissioner has resigned and disturbing reports of dangerous conditions in police watch cells from the Ombudsman.
“We urge the Northern Territory Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, end the detention of children in police watch houses, commit to regular public reporting on children in custody, and invest in the community-led programs that prevent crime from happening in the first place,” says Ms Edwards.
About us:
Jesuit Social Services is a social change organisation that has worked in the justice system for nearly 50 years.
Contact details:
Media enquiries: Toby Halligan, 0455 452 765 or [email protected]
