Inside the isolation cells where Australian kids are imprisoned | In the Box | Short Documentary

Children as young as 11 are being locked up in police facilities meant for drunk and disorderly adults, known as watch houses. Some end up in "the box" – a tiny, freezing cold isolation cell with no mattress, toilet or windows. In this joint investigation with Guardian Australia, we reveal - for the first time - footage that shows what happens to children inside these isolation cells, and explore why record numbers of kids are being detained in watch houses in Queensland, Australia. An SBS The Feed and Guardian Australia collaboration. Content warning: Contains violent and distressing content, including references to self-harm and suicide Chapters: 00:00 – 01:51 Exclusive footage of a teenage girl, Sam, being placed in an isolation cell 01:55 – 03:10 Introduction to the investigation 03:12 – 03:24 The youth crime situation in Cairns, in northern Australia 03:25 – 03:55 Ride along with a youth service keeping kids out of trouble 03:56 – 04:19 The police crime squad arresting kids: Taskforce Guardian 04:20 – 04:44 What is a watch house? The adult police facilities where children are also held 04:45 – 05:06 How long are children spending in watch houses? 05:07 – 07:03 Police bodycam footage shows Sam being restrained at a hospital and taken back to the watch house 07:03 – 7:48 Hear from Sam's grandmother 07:51 – 09:22 A distressed Sam puts herself herself at risk in isolation 09:24 – 09:54 Sam has the mental capacity of a 5-year-old 09:55 – 10:20 We show the footage to a youth advocate 10:20 – 10:53 What are isolation cells used for? 11:16 – 11:42 Conditions in the watch house 11:43 – 12:09 Footage shows a boy saying he's unable to breathe in an isolation cell 12:10 – 12:22 Other incidents in the watch house 12:23 – 12:40 Police respond to the allegations 12:41 – 14:05 What is it like inside a watch house? Meet a teenager who's been there around 25 times 14:27 - 14:39 Is Queensland facing a youth crime crisis? 14:40 – 16:05 A victim of crime whose house was broken into by youth criminals with knives 16:24 – 17:12 Meet an Indigenous elder advocating for children's mental health 17:24 – 18:36 What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD? 18:39 – 19:55 Meet a carer for two boys with FASD 20:26 – 23:05 We show the footage to the Queensland Youth Justice Minister, Di Farmer 23:06 – 24:20 Equine therapy for neurodiverse kids 24:23 – 25:35 What happens from here to kids like Sam? Reporter/Producer: Ben Smee Producer: Jennifer Luu Shooters: Chloe Angelo, Max Polley, Gavin Blyth Editors: Chloe Angelo, Joel Stillone, Jack Tulleners Graphics: Caroline Huang Digital Current Affairs Lead: Jodie Noyce Subscribe to more Feed content HERE: https://bit.ly/3e9mv1q The Feed is the home of inspiring documentaries, hard-hitting investigations and razor-sharp satire. We invite our audience to see different, know better and laugh harder. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefeedsbs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefeedsbs/?hl=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefeedsbs?lang=en Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed See more: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/the-feed Network Terms & Conditions: https://www.sbs.com.au/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.sbs.com.au/privacy Feedback or complaints: https://www.sbs.com.au/complaints