For Immediate Release
February 20, 2025
NL NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is appalled by the reality exposed in recent news reports about the physical conditions at the NL Youth Centre in Whitbourne.
Dinn says the conditions at the facility are yet another example of this government’s refusal to address critical issues in the justice system, abandoning both incarcerated youth and workers in increasingly appalling circumstances.
“Once again, government hides the atrocious reality as both incarcerated youth and government employees live and work in abhorrent surroundings,” said Dinn. “The well-documented inhumane environment of His Majesty’s Penitentiary seems to be reflected at Whitbourne. This government should be ashamed to have youth living in abominable conditions yet refuses to provide the support they need to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society. Four different Liberal justice ministers have sat by and permitted this state of affairs to develop.
“Did government learn nothing from Jack Whalen? Just last year, opposition pushed government to do what’s right and remove time limits for victims of childhood abuse,” said Dinn. “Jack’s story about how he was treated in this facility decades ago was chilling. The fact that government knew the existing conditions of the youth centre and continued to do nothing about it is abhorrent.”
Dinn emphasized that true rehabilitation requires investment in mental health services, education, housing, and community-based alternatives. He says that this is another story of government neglect, refusing to do the hard work necessary to fix problems before they balloon into crisis.
“The cycle of neglect, underfunding, and crisis management must end. We need a justice system that focuses on rehabilitation. If we want to prevent reoffenders and give young people a chance at a better future, we need to invest in solutions that work. Those solutions do not include making our incarcerated youth and workers deal with such abysmal conditions,” he said.
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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