Details of a new restraint planned for juveniles at Banksia Hill Detention Centre will not be disclosed, the Department of Justice says, as the potentially deadly "folding-up" technique is phased out this month.
The West Australian department said it would ban the folding-up practice, also known as a hogtie or figure-four restraint, after a Four Corners investigation revealed young people were being restrained in the device at Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
In April, WA Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan said the treatment of detainees in the facility's intensive support unit was "cruel, inhuman and degrading".
Reviews in Queensland and the Northern Territory found that the restraint could cause suffocation, and carried a significant risk of injury or death.
In its place, a new restraint was to be introduced by December 14, but the department told the ABC on Tuesday it would not be disclosing details about the new method.
"The alternative restraint method for youth detainees is a standard technique that is consistent with other jurisdictions and does not involve a folding of the legs," the department said in a statement.
"For security reasons, the Department of Justice is not providing further information about the alternative restraint technique."
The folding-up restraint involved guards forcing a handcuffed child onto their stomach, crossing their legs behind them and sitting on them.
Body-worn camera footage obtained by Four Corners showed the restraint being used on a young teenage boy earlier this year.
Transparency needed: advocate
Social Reinvestment WA, an Aboriginal-led non-profit organisation that provides advocacy for Indigenous people in the justice system, has not been told what the new restraint will be.
Co-chairperson Daniel Morrison said the organisation wanted the details released publicly, so experts could ensure children in detention were treated appropriately.
"History has shown we can't protect children in state-run institutions unless there is accountability and transparency," Mr Morrison said.
"We're glad the restraint has been banned — but replacing one dangerous restraint with a secretive new one does little to restore public trust in WA's failing youth justice system."
Gerry Georgatos is a well-known advocate for social justice and suicide prevention and has spent time working in Banksia Hill.
He was among those who spoke out against the use of the method earlier this year.
Mr Georgatos initially welcomed the ban of the restraint as a small step in the right direction, but slammed the department's decision not to disclose the replacement method.
"We should be avail to it. That's the only way we can keep [corrections] accountable," he said.
"That's the only way we can prevent excessive force. That's the only way we can prevent life-threatening force."
Mr Georgatos questioned who the department was accountable to if details of the restraint would only be known within the department, and government ministers had not known about the previous restraint being used.
WA Police unable to confirm use in adults
Both Premier Mark McGowan and Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston told Four Corners they had been unaware of the restraint's use.
Eamon Ryan, the WA Inspector of Custodial Services, had not received details of the new restraint but would request a formal briefing in the near future.
The figure-four practice is still allowed to be used in adult correctional facilities in WA.
When asked whether police officers were allowed to use the technique now banned at Banksia Hill, a WA Police spokesperson said they could not confirm as they did not have enough details to compare.
"We are unaware of the techniques, policies and procedures that they use," the spokesperson said.
WA Police said officers were trained in the use of a "leg lock" but did not provide specifics about what that restraint involved.
"Head or neck holds are only used to reduce a threat and gain control of a subject where the member reasonably believes there is an imminent risk of grievous bodily harm or death to any person," the spokesperson said.
