Table 1 Focus group composition

Focus Group 1

Male unit: four participants

Age: 14 years

Cultural background: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (n = 2) and Pacific Islander (n = 2)

Drug use: alcohol, cannabis, MDMA & methamphetamine

Two guards present

Focus Group 2

Female unit: four participants

Age range: 16 – 18 years

Cultural background: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (n = 1) and Anglo (n = 3)

Drug use: cannabis, cocaine, MDMA & methamphetamine

Two guards present

Focus Group 3

Female unit: four participants

Age range: 14 – 17 years

Cultural background: Anglo (n = 4)

Drug use: alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, ketamine, MDMA, & methamphetamine

Two guards present

Focus Group 4

Male unit: two participants

Age: 14 years

Cultural background: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (n = 2)

Drug use: cannabis and alcohol

Two guards present

Focus Group 5

Mixed unit: four participants (3 males and one female)

Age range: 13 – 18 years

Cultural background: Undisclosed

Drug use: alcohol, buprenorphine, cannabis, cocaine, LSD, MDMA & methamphetamine

Two guards present

Focus Group 6

Female unit: five participants

Age range: 15 – 18 years

Cultural background: Anglo (n = 1), Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (n = 3) and Pacific (Samoan – Tongan) (n = 1)

Drug use: benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, GHB, LSD & MDMA

One guard present

Focus Group 7

Female unit: two participants

Age range: 16 – 18 years

Cultural background: Aboriginal, South African (n = 1) and Anglo, Italian (n = 1)

Drug use: benzodiazepines, buprenorphine, cannabis, GHB, GBL, heroin, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, methamphetamine

One guard present

Focus Group 8

Female unit: five participants

Age range: 12 – 15 years

Cultural background: undisclosed

Drug use: benzodiazepines, cocaine, heroin & methamphetamine

*Difficult focus group which required guard intervention and presence of caseworker to support discussions

Three guards present

Focus Group 9

Male unit: three participants

Age: 14 years

Cultural background: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (n = 3)

Drug use: alcohol, cannabis, MDMA

One guard present