A 13-year-old boy from the indigenous population of Australia has spent 45 days in solitary confinement. He was detained for minor crimes, reports the BBC.
It is yet another youth justice case raising human rights concerns in Queensland.
The boy, nicknamed “Jack,” was released on parole last week after 60 days in the Cleveland Youth Detention Center.
The boy is believed to have spent 22 consecutive days in solitary confinement.
Queensland’s head of human rights claims the case may have breached state law.
Jack is being held in custody on charges related to a fight with another boy his age at the detention center, bTV reported.
According to his lawyer, Tim Grau, he flushed his cell with water from the toilet after being denied drinking water.
The lawyer described his detention as “unusual and cruel” and stressed that Jack had no “serious criminal history”.
Grau said he doesn’t know why Jack spent so long in solitary confinement, but suspects it’s due to understaffing at the prison.
Jack’s detention period includes six days in an adult prison. He was released last week with a verbal reprimand.
In February, it emerged another 13-year-old Queensland boy with a developmental disability had spent 78 days locked in a cell for 20 hours a day.