Australia must urgently heed the advice coming from an important new report, and introduce national minimum youth justice standards to keep children safe from harm, says Jesuit Social Services.
The report of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Reference Committee's inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system highlights the critical need for Commonwealth leadership, and sends a strong message to all levels of government that community-based alternatives to incarceration are the way forward for addressing youth offending and public safety.
“Jesuit Social Services has nearly 50 years of experience supporting children and young people who have contact with the youth justice system. Every day, we see that youth justice systems across Australia are failing our children by not addressing the drivers of offending and instead simply looking to punish them,” says Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards.
“Children do not belong in jail. It is a setting that we know does long term harm and is both costly and ineffective. That is why we have called over many years for Australian jurisdictions to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, and the minimum age of incarceration to 16.
While the report recommends a further inquiry into the factors that contribute to youth incarceration in Australia, there is a huge amount of international and Australian evidence pointing to what can be done.
“Jesuit Social Services delivers a number of early intervention and restorative justice programs – highlighted in the report – which we know prevent or reduce offending, and keep young people out of contact with the justice system. With appropriate funding, these interventions could be rolled out across jurisdictions and make a difference right now” says Ms Edwards.
As the report suggests, a cross-portfolio National Child and Community Safety Taskforce would bring much needed coordination and a national approach to youth justice, while ensuring place-based approaches are a foundation of any reforms.
“This report holds up a mirror for all governments to look into, at a time when regressive and damaging policies are taking hold across the country. In recent years governments across the country have been shameless in ignoring evidence and casting aside the welfare of young people in favour of their own political interest,” says Ms Edwards.
“While responsibility for youth justice sits with state and territory governments, the ongoing failures of these systems cannot be ignored by the Commonwealth – national leadership is now critical.”
Contact details:
Kathryn Kernohan, 0409 901 248 or [email protected]
