Custodial Inspector Demands Reform in Youth Transport

The critical issue of child safety and unacceptable practices in the transportation of young people in custody is revealed in the following collection of media releases from the Greens, the Commissioner for Children and Young People and the Office of the Custodial Inspector following the tabling of a key report.

This report highlighted systemic failures, the use of improvised spit hoods and a lack of government commitment to reforms.

Media release – Cecily Rosol, Greens Children and Youth Spokesperson, 3 December 2025

Premier Must Keep Children Safe

The Custodial inspector has exposed unacceptable practises of private security staff in transporting children and young people in custody.

Yet in Parliament, the Premier would not commit to phasing out the use of private security officers or legislating against spit hoods as recommended.

Reports that private security officers had created an improvised spit hood using a young person’s t-shirt were deeply distressing.

Spit hoods are a dangerous violation of human rights, and they simply shouldn’t be used in Tasmanian prisons.

The Department of Education, Children and Young People has failed to provide proper oversight of these security contractors.

Concerns were raised multiple times, and yet nothing was done.

To ensure children are treated with respect and dignity, the Custodial Inspector recommended the use of private security officers be phased out and legislation be introduced to ban spit hoods.

Yet the Premier would not commit to this under Greens’ questioning in Parliament.

After the Commission of Inquiry, the Premier promised his government would take action to keep children safe.

It’s just not good enough that he’s trying to kick these urgently needed reforms down the road.

Premier Rockliff must fully adopt the recommendations of the Custodial Inspector to ensure the safety of children and young people in custody during transportation.

Spit hoods should be banned under legislation, and the use of private security officers needs to be phased out, now.

Media release – Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2 December 2025

Custodial Inspector’s Report

The Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People Isabelle Crompton today welcomed the tabling of the Custodial Inspector’s Security contractor transport of young people in custody – safeguarding review 2025.

“I call for the full and prompt implementation of the Custodial Inspector’s recommendations,” Crompton said.

“Let us be under no illusions an improvised spit hood is still a spit hood.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, there are no circumstances that make the use of any spit hood on a child acceptable.”

“They are dehumanising, harmful, potentially dangerous, and entirely incompatible with child rights.”

Crompton said the Tasmanian Government must meet the standards set by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The Convention makes clear that ‘every child deprived of liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person’.”

“This standard applies to any setting where a child is in custody, including when being transported.”

Crompton said young people at Ashley Youth Detention Centre have told her and her Office they experience transport during really stressful times.

“Transport occurs when they are going to detention for the first time, going to court or going to hospital.”

“Regardless of who provides transport services, the Government must meet its obligations to the children in its care by ensuring the consistent provision of safe, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate practices.”

I expect all parties to work together, swiftly, to prohibit the dehumanising use of any spit hood in any setting.”

Media release – Office of the Custodial Inspector, 2 December 2025

‘Significant inconsistencies’ compromise safety and wellbeing of children and young people

Tasmanian Custodial Inspector Dr Grant Davies has highlighted systemic issues related to transporting children and young people to and from Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC), resulting in safeguarding gaps that compromise their safety and wellbeing.

Davies said his Office’s Security contractor transport of young people in custody: safeguarding review 2025, which was tabled in State Parliament today, revealed “significant inconsistencies” in the Department for Education, Children and Young People’s (DECYP) safeguarding of those in their care when they are being transported from Hobart and Launceston Reception Prisons to AYDC, as well as from AYDC to medical appointments, court and other offsite activities.

Most of these journeys are fulfilled by security officers from Essential Security, a private company contracted by DECYP.

Davies said that despite concerns being raised by his office, along with other oversight bodies such as the Commissioner for Children and Young People, over a number of years, private security officers continued to be used for this purpose.

He said while DECYP had some safeguards to protect children and young people during transport, they did not have systems in place to oversee their use and effectiveness.

“Safeguards can only protect children and young people if they are consistently applied, meaningfully embedded and overseen by robust internal systems as well as independent bodies, he said.

The review was prompted by an incident in late 2024 when a young person needing clinical attention was being transported from AYDC to Launceston General Hospital and back.

Security officers reported that the young person was spitting, so they covered his head with his own t-shirt—creating an improvised ‘spit hood’ while his hands were handcuffed behind his back.

The young person told Custodial Inspector officers investigating the incident that the spit hood made it “hard to breathe”.

“The use of an improvised spit hood had the potential to cause significant physical and psychological harm to the young person,” Davies said.

“We understand that staff—whether they be at AYDC, private security officers or hospital staff—have a right to be safe and have made recommendations in relation to this in our report.”

“But children and young people in custody must be treated with humanity and respect and not subjected to any treatment that is in contravention of their basic human rights.”

Davies said the use of spit hoods is not legislatively banned in Tasmania.

At the time of the late 2024 incident, although spit hoods were not used in AYDC, they were not explicitly banned in policy.

“While DECYP and AYDC have since made steps to rectify this—including communicating to AYDC and Essential Security staff that all spit hoods, including improvised ones, are prohibited—we believe prohibiting spit hoods by law would provide an even stronger safeguard,” he said.

“That’s why we’re recommending that the Tasmanian Parliament legislate to ban the use of spit hoods and improvised spit hoods in all circumstances.”

Davies said his inspection team uncovered a number of other systemic issues of concern during their investigations, covering:

• Incident reporting;
• Oversight of use of force, including the use of handcuffs, during transport;
• Screening, vetting and training of private security officers;
• The use of standard vehicles when transporting children and young people;
• Ongoing staff shortages at AYDC; and
• Consistent, therapeutic care for children and young people during transport.

“The review revealed that when young people were offsite, they were cared for by security officers who had not always been approved by DECYP,” he said.

“In addition, if the security officers used force on young people while offsite, this was not being adequately reported.

“There were limited mechanisms for overseeing security officers’ conduct. These are safeguards that are embedded at AYDC and should extend to journeys offsite.”

Davies said since his office had started its review in December 2024, DECYP had already made significant improvements, including giving AYDC approval to lease and design a van to accommodate young people safely, securely and therapeutically.

However, broader consideration needed to be given to whether the use of private security officers was the best approach in transporting children and young people to and from AYDC.

“This report makes recommendations to improve safeguarding of children and young people during transport within the current system,” he said.

“However, it also considers whether private security officers are best placed to transport vulnerable children and young people, and whether this practice is compatible with the therapeutic care principles DECYP is seeking to apply not just at AYDC, but across Tasmania’s youth justice system.”

Media release – Cecily Rosol, Greens Children and Young People Spokesperson, 2 December 2025

Transportation of Youth in Custody Needs Reform

The Custodial Inspector’s review of the transportation of children and young people to and from Ashley Youth Detention Centre has revealed concerning unsafe practises of contracted security staff and a systemic lack of oversight by the Department of Education, Children and Young People.

It’s completely unacceptable that the human rights of children and young people continue to be violated in custodial settings.

The Custodial Inspector found concerning “significant inconsistencies” in safeguarding practises for children and young people during transfers to and from AYDC.

There has been a systematic failure by the DECYP to oversee the practises of private security officers and ensure children and young people are safe.

These systemic failures have allowed unsafe practices during transport of children and young people by contracted security services.

The report of contracted security officers creating an improvised “spit hood” by pulling a young person’s t-shirt over their head, making it hard for them to breath, is harrowing.

The use of spit hoods is a violation of human rights and should be prohibited by law, as recommended by the Custodial Inspector.

Other systemic issues uncovered by the Custodial Inspector relating to the use of force, incident reporting, and screening and training of private security officers must be addressed.

The care of children and young people in custody should be truly respectful and therapeutic.

The Liberal Government must fully adopt and implement the recommendations of the Custodial Inspector to ensure the safety of Tasmanian children.

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