Mental-health system fails youth: magistrate.

(From Canberra Times)

There was nowhere but Quamby detention centre to send a Canberra boy who lit a fire a week after the devastating 2003 firestorm and who the justice and mental-health systems had failed, Magistrate Elizabeth Symons said yesterday.

Magistrate Symons, echoing concerns from her colleagues, called on the ACT Government to take immediate steps to build a secure mental-health facility for people like the 17-year-old youth, who cannot be named.

Although the youth did not belong in Quamby she was forced to continue to keep him in custody until his case was finalised because she could not risk exposing the community to further offences. He has already been there for 44 days.

The youth, who lit the fire on January 25 last year, had been found unfit to plead by the Mental Health Tribunal due to a mental dysfunction.

Earlier this month Magistrate Symons found he had committed 13 charges including unlicensed driving, stealing a car, robbery, assault, theft, driving dangerously, and damaging property relating to various incidents last year and this year.

Remanding him in custody until at least the end of April, Magistrate Symons said she was enormously troubled at the lack of ...