Bimberi the new name in youth incarceration

tom-tom said :

This is riotact; whinging about things we dont understand is all we do here.

It’s good you’ve finally come clean about your own involvement. But don’t speak for the rest of us.

I don’t reckon anyone knows more about Quamby than peterh ….

*heh heh heh*

Do you reckon they can put a drag strip and a burn out pan in there?

tickboom said :

peterh, is it possible, just possible, that those involved in this know more about the need to replace Quamby than you do? Even if you do feel the need to post 7 out of 18 responses to this thread, that doesn’t make you an expert.

This is riotact; whinging about things we dont understand is all we do here.

SheepGroper said :

FC said :

They’re not children, they’re youths which implies teens and older. Hopefully the vermin that attempted to break my fence to get at my sheep once will be incarcerated there, but I doubt it.

Given the rural nature of this new puberto-slammer they could probably provide a few sheep for the lust-filled delinquents and let the sheep farmers of the ACT (and region) sleep peacefully knowing that their flocks are safe, baa any roaming packs of wild dogs.

Oh, and by the way I would assume (based on it not appearing in any official material) that the “swimming pool” comment was hyperbole. Or in other words – not actually happening. Yes, you’ve been fooled in order to summon up your rage and indignation! Be angry at the twit who thought that was a good idea!

Dude – it’s a secure facility. Securing a place costs a bucketload. In fact, most of that $140 million. Oddly enough, very little of that is going into making a palatial mansion for our crims.

If you spent much less than that and applied the funds, then you’d have a facility that was much easier to escape. Which means more of the little darlings running around the streets. Freedom may not be free, but depriving people of their freedom also costs rather a large amount. To misquote from a TV show “you want imprisonment? Well, imprisonment costs, and right here is where we start payin!”

Their punishment is the deprivation of liberty – of the choice on how they’re going to live their own lives for the term of their sentance. And nothing else. Unless you really want to start lugging in capital punishments (and … please, let’s not open that kettle of fish), that’s pretty much all we’ve got.

fabforty said :

Once upon a time the ACT Government brought in new legislation about Human Rights. This encompassed all “humans” including those in custody. It was then realised that neither the Belconnen Remand Centre or Quamby could possibly fulfil the requirements of this legislation and something had to be done.

Rather than throw good money after bad in fixing up the old decaying institutions, the decision was made to build a new jail and a new youth detention centre.

I can’t comment about the jail as I don’t know enough about it. I do have some knowledge of Bimberi though.

The idea behind Bimberi is to try to teach young offenders some skills (other than stealing cars and burglary) with which they can hope to gain meaningful employment. They will also learn life skills such as nutrition and basic literacy and numeracy, which many don’t have. They will receive drug and alcohol counselling. They will be able to play sports (some for the first time) the same as other young people.

It is easy to wish ill for young offenders especially those who steal cars, break into houses and assault people. But our choice as a society is between trying to “retrain” these young people into thinking, skilled and healthy individuals who may see the light and make something of their lives, or, as some would have, treat them like animals when they are incarcerated and somehow expect them to be better when they are let out.

Some of them are children. They might not be nice, they may little b*stads, but if we are so ignorant and bitter that we can’t give a 13 year old a second chance then our society deserves what it gets.

I understand what you’re getting at, but it has just seemed, lately, that too often all this touchy-feely do-gooding under the guise of “Human Rights” and “rehabilitation” comes at the expense of the people doing wrong ever being punished too.

Rehabilitate them… Give them skills… But let’s not forget to make sure that they get it into their thick heads that there are consequences involved for the people they hurt and for themselves…

I think it would be interesting to see what the costs would’ve been for a refurb of Quamby rather than a brand new, state of the art facility with swimming pool (something that the hard working, law abiding, tax paying citizens of Gungahlin don’t even have yet). Could they have spent less by refurbing an already existing site and perhaps kept a school open…? Or maybe not shag the Gungahlin Drive Extension…

What’s that? You poor young kids have beaten people, stolen property, vandalised people’s homes? Here’s $140 million… What about the Light Rail proposal you ask? Don’t worry about that… We’re relying on the Federal government to pay for that ol’ chestnut!!

What a joke…

I believe the sign says bimberi – there is no B.

Katy ‘I’m not responsible for this’ Gallagher quite nicely described the concept of school in her media interview tonight on this subject, as have some other previous posters. If the aim of bimberi is to teach people, it should be more appropriately labelled bimberi polytechnic or suchlike.

I’m not entirely convinced if this is the most appropriate way of spending my tax dollar.

@fabforty – while your lecture on human rights is on the surface level quite quaint, most occupants of the abovementioned facility are there because of their own lack of respect for them.

I agree – if you can’t put special effort in to try to turn around kids who have started off in the wrong direction in life, before they get stuck in a permanent pattern, well why bother talking about rehabilitation at all?

I also understand that one of the priorities of the new prison, youth detention centre etc was making facilities safer and more tolerable for staff. Apparently the Belco and Symo remand centres were pretty hideous places to work (even relative to other slammers). But I am open to being corrected by those more informed.

Once upon a time the ACT Government brought in new legislation about Human Rights. This encompassed all “humans” including those in custody. It was then realised that neither the Belconnen Remand Centre or Quamby could possibly fulfil the requirements of this legislation and something had to be done.

Rather than throw good money after bad in fixing up the old decaying institutions, the decision was made to build a new jail and a new youth detention centre.

I can’t comment about the jail as I don’t know enough about it. I do have some knowledge of Bimberi though.

The idea behind Bimberi is to try to teach young offenders some skills (other than stealing cars and burglary) with which they can hope to gain meaningful employment. They will also learn life skills such as nutrition and basic literacy and numeracy, which many don’t have. They will receive drug and alcohol counselling. They will be able to play sports (some for the first time) the same as other young people.

It is easy to wish ill for young offenders especially those who steal cars, break into houses and assault people. But our choice as a society is between trying to “retrain” these young people into thinking, skilled and healthy individuals who may see the light and make something of their lives, or, as some would have, treat them like animals when they are incarcerated and somehow expect them to be better when they are let out.

Some of them are children. They might not be nice, they may little b*stads, but if we are so ignorant and bitter that we can’t give a 13 year old a second chance then our society deserves what it gets.

Funny i cant see the HUGE swimming pool on the plans !!

Anything designed , built and operated under the mayor’s
“human rights legislation” will be a farce. Bit like the Al Hyatt.

tickboom said :

peterh, is it possible, just possible, that those involved in this know more about the need to replace Quamby than you do? Even if you do feel the need to post 7 out of 18 responses to this thread, that doesn’t make you an expert.

seconded.

peterh, is it possible, just possible, that those involved in this know more about the need to replace Quamby than you do? Even if you do feel the need to post 7 out of 18 responses to this thread, that doesn’t make you an expert.

amarooresident said :

all they had to do was increase the inner perimeter fence height, and set up a secondary perimeter fence around the first, higher again, and with a distance of at least 10m from the first.

Pretty sure based on my involvement with corrections some years ago it wasn’t as simple as that and if it was they would have done it. Also they were running out of space to house inmates and maintain appropriate seperations between girls/boys younger kids and older kids and so on. There were also a range of safety issues both for staff and their “guests”.

my mate used to tell me that if they raised the fence, he would never have got out. even a foot would have done it.

all they had to do was increase the inner perimeter fence height, and set up a secondary perimeter fence around the first, higher again, and with a distance of at least 10m from the first.

Pretty sure based on my involvement with corrections some years ago it wasn’t as simple as that and if it was they would have done it. Also they were running out of space to house inmates and maintain appropriate seperations between girls/boys younger kids and older kids and so on. There were also a range of safety issues both for staff and their “guests”.

Heavs said :

Turn over the BRAND NEW facility? Why not just refurb the old Quamby and turn that over to them. Same outcome.

true. didn’t think of that. other site is closer to summernats, though.

🙂

Turn over the BRAND NEW facility? Why not just refurb the old Quamby and turn that over to them. Same outcome.

amarooresident said :

They kept escaping out of Quamby – that’s part of the reason the new place was built, along with no space to expand on that site and put the appropriate security fencing and secutity buffer zones.

all they had to do was increase the inner perimeter fence height, and set up a secondary perimeter fence around the first, higher again, and with a distance of at least 10m from the first.

They kept escaping out of Quamby – that’s part of the reason the new place was built, along with no space to expand on that site and put the appropriate security fencing and secutity buffer zones.

and then turn the facility in gungahlin over to a registered charity or ACT Housing for homeless youth.

amarooresident said :

And what would you do with them peterh?

fix up quamby would be a good start. the facility is there. just refurb it.

FC said :

Yeah but I think its a bit rough calling them scum.
. . . Children are still CHILDREN.

They’re not children, they’re youths which implies teens and older. Hopefully the vermin that attempted to break my fence to get at my sheep once will be incarcerated there, but I doubt it.

And what would you do with them peterh?

Yeah but I think its a bit rough calling them scum.
Also children who have likely been abused, neglected, experienced various types of trauma in their short lives.
Children are still CHILDREN.

Children that break into you car, your home, your business… assault you or your family or other random people…

Just to remind you all we are talking about children here.

(’Cos Bimberi’s the highest peak in the Territory geddit?)
So its named after a local mountain? Hilarious!
Please come and do stand-up at the Irish Club sometime.

I found a dog, and he has no nose. He looks strange, but still has a sense of scent, because he just has this big cavity leading to his olfactory epithelium.
If he is yours, please come and pick him up, as I suspect his his anal glands are playing up.

It’s as pity the scum who will find their way in there can’t pay as much attention to other people’s Human Rights as our air brained leader apparently does to theirs.

hk0reduck said :

Well, hopefully it will prevent future homeless.

To paraphrase the bible:
Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum.

Hopefully this facility will work towards ending this cycle.

why would it, they would just be a rehabilitated better class of scum….

Well, hopefully it will prevent future homeless.

To paraphrase the bible:
Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum, Scum begat Scum, Scum Begat Scum.

Hopefully this facility will work towards ending this cycle.

wow. a soccer field, amphitheater etc. what will the stanhope govt do about the homeless?

not a damn thing.

but look at the great facility for criminal youth.

will it be the same as the over the fence policy at quamby?