New youth detention centre in Woodford

The centre's design

The design of the new centre reflects contemporary and best-practice principles aimed at fostering rehabilitation and safety. A wide range of people contributed to the design, including operational staff with expertise in security and operational functions; management and administrative staff with knowledge of operational and strategic requirements; property and procurement staff with insights from maintaining the current youth detention centres; Hospital and Health Services professionals; Children’s Hospital Queensland; the Department of Education (DoE); unions; youth justice practitioners from other jurisdictions; and youths in detention.

Architects have led the design process, incorporating these diverse perspectives to ensure the centre meets the needs of all stakeholders. The design includes:

• trauma-informed design to help create a safer environment for staff and youths
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) to create a more secure physical environment
• carceral geography (which considers how the physical infrastructure shapes the experiences of staff and youths on centre, including spaces that decrease stress and foster collaborations)
• culturally appropriate design that nurtures connection to family, community, and Country
• elements of nature (which studies have shown reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, improve behaviour and lead to reduced recidivism).

Balancing welfare, justice, and security

Creating an environment where youths are treated with respect and dignity, and encouraged to extend the same to others, is foundational to achieving meaningful rehabilitation.  Learn more about youth detention in Queensland.

Our youth detention centres are dedicated to rehabilitating youth and improving their life outcomes. We provide a range of intervention programs and services to support their development during their time in detention.

This commitment is further strengthened through Detention with Purpose and Staying on Track, which provide structured pathways for rehabilitation and reintegration.

Detention with Purpose (DwP) is a key program focused on education, discipline, and accountability for youth offenders.

DwP also ensures youth are ready after release to join the Staying on Track (SoT) program. SoT provides up to 12 months of reintegration support, including at least 6 months of intensive engagement, to help youth successfully re-enter their communities.

Together, these programs create a pathway for youth to address the root causes of their offending, develop new skills, and build a foundation for a positive future.

For more information on these programs, visit the Staying on Track and Detention with Purpose program pages.

Practice approaches to youth detention

All Queensland youth detention centres, including the Woodford Youth Detention Centre, promote prosocial values and behaviours. Evidence shows this can lead to improved outcomes such as reduced rates of arrests and detention and lower rates of recidivism.

Youth will be always treated with respect and dignity and encouraged to treat others with respect and dignity.

Research shows that targeted approaches to youth detention deliver improved results for youth and improved community safety. A holistic approach focused on meeting the unique needs of each youth and providing evidence-based programs to address their offending leads to reduced recidivism.

One of the key features of detention models that reduce recidivism is their emphasis on addressing a youth’s reasons for offending – including health, mental health, disability, education, and employment needs. In Queensland, we know that young offenders have complex needs:

• 53% of youth offenders have experienced or been impacted by domestic and family violence
• 44% have a mental health and/or behavioural disorder
• 48% are disengaged from education, training, or employment
• 44% have a disability.

*Source: Youth Justice pocket stats September 2024.

Location

What the centre will look like

These images help to show how the building and spaces will look before the centre is built.