“The current youth justice system is not working to reduce repeat and serious offending, and all the while those with vested interests within the system ignore its failings and continue to applaud it as a ‘flagship’ and ‘world leading’ system."
I tend to agree with this. While Principal Youth Court Judge Becroft says there are no statistics showing 10-13 year-olds offending is "spiralling out of control", the violent offending of 14-16 year olds is worsening. 13 year-olds don't suddenly become violent when they turn fourteen. And it is very difficult to find justice statistics that show they are a problem when they can't be charged in a criminal court!
Here are apprehension trends (Which Becroft also rejects because they may only be telling us about police resourcing, practices and recording)
On the other hand, I have reservations about lowering the age of criminal responsibility. Sending a child to court (and whatever ensues) can have the opposite of the desired effect and entrench his criminality. It's a debate that never goes away. Whether to be harsh or lenient. And there is no black and white answer because we are dealing with human beings. No two are ever the same.
3 comments:
I agree with Ron Mark. I can see your point but we must get the trough feeders to admit there is a problem and stop touting our system as a world leader. Our society is not breaking down it has broken down. We can't save these kids with the present system so some radical thinking and a change in the whole of society's attitudes is needed
BTW its not whether it is increasing its the absolute figures that show it is out of control 250/10K in the 17-20s!!!
& the notion that court process and imprisonment 'will entrench criminality' ... only if the process is ineffective as a punishment. Prisons have managed to segregate mongrel and black power peoples effectively and have had youth facilities for some time ... & kid facilities, epuni for example, don't really support the notion of specialist facilities.
The figures really show that you can nay talk these young folk out of recidivistic criminal behaviour, that emphasis on mitigating factors aint effective ... so perahps it is time to revisit explicit consequences.
& flat screens & video games & violent movies (& drugs?) for inmates coz otherwise they get bored & fractious ... there was a time when most institutions had policies of self sufficiency & work - arguably entirely appropriate rehabilitation ... until the civil libertarians & like deemed it prisoner abuse.
But combine your figures with the possibility that up to 30% of kids in solo parent housholds verbally intimidate & physically abuse their parent ... we have certainly created a fertile breeding ground for 'improving' these statistics.
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