A distressed teenage boy at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville was handcuffed by staff shortly after a suicide attempt had left him unconscious and convulsing.

Key points: Official records show seven serious incidents of self-harm or attempted suicide

Official records show seven serious incidents of self-harm or attempted suicide Queensland Government fought for 9 months to keep documents secret

Queensland Government fought for 9 months to keep documents secret Cleveland Youth Detention Centre has a troubled history of unrest

The disturbing account is one of seven serious incidents of self harm or attempted suicide detailed in official records obtained by 7.30 under right to information laws.

The internal documents reveal some staff doubt the sincerity of self-harm attempts and believe they are a deliberate ploy by young people.

The records cover a four-year period from 2013 to 2016 and reveal more violent and dangerous incidents involving young people and staff.

The Queensland Government fought for nine months to keep the records secret, with the Department of Justice arguing their release would jeopardise the security, order and industrial relations inside the Townsville facility.

The Information Commissioner disagreed and has forced the department to release the documents.

A troubled history

A boy is placed in a separation cell at Cleveland Detention Centre.

A riot involving 20 young people last year caused widespread damage at the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre, leaving one worker with permanent eye damage.

Further investigations by the ABC's 7.30 and Lateline programs revealed allegations of excessive force by staff against young people, resulting in an independent inquiry and major reforms at Queensland's youth detention centres.

The Palaszczuk Government has been criticised for its secrecy, which included censoring all evidence provided by young people to the independent review.

A public backlash forced the Queensland Government to later reconsider.

Debbie Kilroy from the prisoner support service, Sisters Inside, is disturbed by the internal records.

"I feel sick to read more of the same violence has been perpetrated against the vulnerable children that are held in our youth prisons," she told 7.30.

"I think it's outrageous that we've just had a recent inquiry into youth justice where the commissioners were to be given relevant material, and then after the report is tabled we then have to again fight for transparency about what's happening to our children."

The Cleveland Files

Palaszczuk Government has been criticised for its secrecy regarding the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre. ( ABC News: Brant Cumming )

The internal records from the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre feature multiple serious attempts at suicide and self harm.

One incident took place early on a Saturday evening in March 2014.

It began with a young boy being disruptive in his cell.

He had been unsettled all day and staff were fed up, prompting them to strip his cell of its contents, including the television.

The boy then buzzed on the intercom that "he was going to kill himself", and wrapped something tightly around his neck.

Minutes later staff entered the cell to find the boy slumped on the floor.

One staff member wrote, "He appeared to have collapsed and started to convulse".

Staff then hurried to the boy's help, removed the item from his neck and placed him in the recovery position.

It took three minutes for them to rouse him even with pain stimulation being applied by staff.

Just 50 minutes after trying to kill himself, the boy was handcuffed and placed in an ambulance with two detention centre staff and taken to Townsville Hospital.

Ms Kilroy said the incident was poorly handled and would have caused further psychological harm.

"[He would be] highly traumatised, traumatised for the rest of his life," she said.

The internal documents also reveal some staff doubting the sincerity of self-harm attempts.

One incident report was written by a worker on a hot January evening, after they found a young boy with a history of suicidal behaviour threatening to self harm.

The worker believed the threat was made because the boy lost his privileges due to poor behaviour.

The worker had seen the boy speaking to another young person through the cell doors and speculated that he was incited by the other person.

"[Young people] are aware that threatening to be involved in an act of self harm caused disruption to the dynamics of the unit and will use this method purely as a disruption tool," the worker wrote.

'It is possible that a death in custody may occur over a television'

Television is used as an incentive for good behaviour. ( Flickr: Chloe Dietz )

In comments to 7.30 a former staff member who requested they remain anonymous said they fear a young person in Cleveland would die unless there is urgent change.

They raised particular concern with televisions being removed as punishment.

"It is possible that a death in custody may occur over a television, I sincerely hope and pray this doesn't happen," the staff member said.

"Is there a better reward than television in cells?

"Young people believe their lives are worth less than a television.

"Is there another incentive for good behaviour?

"This has to be looked at as a priority."

'Passed out and blue in the face'

A boy was found passed out after cutting deeply into his chest. ( Supplied )

Other incidents detail young people attempting to choke or cut themselves when they are distressed.

A young boy jumped on a building roof and said he wanted to die and placed an item around his neck.

A family visit had left him worried his child was being taken away.

Another trigger for a suicide attempt occurred when a young boy believed he was being lied to by staff about an important visit the next day being cancelled.

The boy cut deeply into his chest then choked himself and was found "passed out and blue in face", "lying lifeless on his bed" and needing to be revived by a nurse who placed him on oxygen.

A volatile situation turns violent

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One of the most serious incidents took place in an afternoon gym class in 2015.

It involved seven young people and showed how quickly a volatile situation can turn violent.

It began when a teenage Aboriginal girl refused to exercise, disobeyed staff instructions and threw her weights on the ground.

Staff then removed a kettle bell and medicine ball from her and began walking her out of the gym to her unit.

The girl started to struggle and staff responded with force, employing a manoeuvre known as ground stabilising.

Face down on the ground, the girl began crying, screaming and fighting against staff members who were holding her arms.

That's when the violence spiralled out of control.

A young boy disturbed by what was happening ran towards staff and started landing punches on several staff members before he too is ground stabilised.

The entire detention centre was then placed in lockdown.

Staff struggled to keep the girl under control, handcuff her and took her away from the gym into a separation cell by utility vehicle.

Another young boy then jumped on the roof and began throwing large cement rocks at staff who were holding the girl, hitting one of them.

Another two boys then ran from the basketball court and joined the first boy on the roof.

For several hours they ran riot and damaged a solar hot water unit, broke windows and air conditioning units and threw items at staff.

Eventually, as night fell, they all surrendered or were caught.

They were all ground stabilised and handcuffed by staff.

Incident 'handled badly'

Sisters Inside founder Debbie Kilroy. ( ABC TV )

The violence left two young people and two staff members needing medical attention.

The Aboriginal girl had bruising, swelling and a graze on her cheek.

An emergency medical assessment recorded her saying she felt, "lethargic, sleepy and reports significant pain 'inside her head' and is confused".

She was taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment.

"That incident was handled badly, and horrifically, that's the bottom line," Ms Kilroy from Sisters Inside said.

"She is slammed to the concrete ground and then ends up with physical injuries and is handcuffed.

"Then, because the other children get upset about that treatment and they're trying to protect her, it is given the label of a riot."

Ms Kilroy has called on the Palaszczuk Government to immediately implement a key recommendation from the recent review into youth justice.

"The prison gates have got to be opened and made transparent and allow for a chief inspector that is independent to be able to visit, that reports to parliament," she said.

"The Queensland Government has agreed to implement this and they need to do it as a matter of urgency and they need to do it before Christmas."

Yvette D'Ath says changes have already been implemented at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre. ( ABC News: Patrick Williams )

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath declined to comment on any of the specific incidents revealed in the documents.

She said in a statement that the Palaszczuk Government was committed to making changes to youth detention.

"Earlier this year the Palaszczuk Government accepted in principle all 83 recommendations of the Independent Review of Youth Detention to improve practices and services, and committed $6.2 million to implement these changes. The implementation of these changes is underway," she said.

"We are also hiring 53 new staff, to be deployed at Cleveland, Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, and in various programs within youth justice.

"We recognise that youth detention centres are highly complex and sometimes volatile environments and balancing welfare, justice and security needs is a daily challenge.

"When incidents do occur in youth detention, staff are trained to undertake risk assessments and respond according to proper procedures."