Some people may find content on this website distressing. Read more
Western Australia - Glossary Term

Lock-Up (1900s)

From
1900s
To
1900s
Categories
Term commonly found on child welfare records
Alternative Names
  • Lockup (also known as)
  • Police Custody (also known as)

Lock-up is a term used to describe a facility used by police or child welfare authorities to hold young people in custody, usually for a brief period before they come before the courts or are released without charge. After the Children's Court opened in 1908, it was possible for children to be held in custody at the court, however by 1913 children on serious charges were being held in a police lock-up, reportedly separately from adults. Young people in Western Australia continue to be held for limited periods in police lock-ups around the State.

Related Legislation

  • Young Offenders Act 1994 (1994 - )

    The Young Offenders Act 1994 (s.19) enables police to hold a child in police custody (or lock-up) until such time as they are bailed or placed in a detention centre.

Related Organisations

Publications

Reports

  • Annual report of the State Children Department, State Children's Department, [Perth, W.A.], 1908-1927. 1913, p.4; 1920, p.3. Details

Online Resources

Sources used to compile this entry: Annual report of the State Children Department, State Children's Department, [Perth, W.A.], 1908-1927. 1913, p.4; 1920, p.3.; Atkinson, Lynn, 'An overview of juvenile detention in Australia', in Paper presented at National Conference on Juvenile Detention, Australian Institute of Criminology, 10-13 August 1997, https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-11/proceedings25.pdf. p.6..

Prepared by: Debra Rosser