Strip searches and the use of force in the ACT youth justice system will be restricted under amendments expected to pass the ACT Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
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The amendments to the Children and Young People Act 2008 follow a damning Human Rights Commission review into the ACT's youth justice practices, including at the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre.
The July 2011 report found the system was weakened by staff shortages, lacked vision and had become risk averse.
Under the changes introduced in May last year, ''good order'' will no longer be a legal basis for strip searches and body searches at Bimberi, and the statutory requirement for reporting the use of force to a doctor or nurse will be strengthened.
The new rules will not include changes to planned uses of force including the use of flexicuffs or handcuffs at the centre.
The report by Human Rights Commissioner Helen Watchirs and Children and Young People Commissioner Alasdair Roy found in an eight-month period in 2010-11 136 strip searches were conducted.
Authorities found contraband in just 1 per cent of cases, mostly in children's clothing.
The authors said the youth justice system risked becoming ''harmful and counterproductive'' without sufficient investment.
Minister for Children and Young People Joy Burch said the changes were in keeping with the 10-year Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT.
"The amendments see us continuing to improve a youth justice system that is compatible with human rights and delivers positive outcomes for children, young people and their families,'' she said. "These small but important changes ensure that the principle of the best interest of the child or young person is reflected in the processes and procedures that underpin our system."
