Isolating children in detention: Cautioning international comparisons

Abstract

Solitary confinement of children is increasingly being challenged in Australian courts, with rulings recently handed down in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Recent international jurisprudence on the harmful practice, and on torture more broadly, stands poised to advance the local cause. This article warns that some international perspectives are outdated, with faulty or politically charged logics, and that, while appearing measured at first sight, reliance on older jurisprudence may ultimately impede progress. Comparative reasoning thus warrants careful consideration, given the complex political (hierarchical, state-deferential), definitional and evidential dynamics (conceiving and substantiating harm, purpose, intention) at play in adjudicating torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.