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NSW looks at how best to get young offenders ‘back on track’
The chair of the NSW legislative assembly committee on law and safety has commented on the committee’s report into adequacy of youth diversionary programs after its recent tabling in State Parliament.
Grace Ormsby
Speaking on the inquiry, Mr Geoff Provest MP said it “gave us the opportunity to consider how best we can help young offenders get back on track.”
The over representation of Aboriginal young people in the juvenile justice system was of particular concern for the committee, with Mr Provest noting “Aboriginal overrepresentation must be addressed and the committee made a number of recommendations aimed at achieving this.”
To this point, a recommendation was made to expand the Youth Koori Court.
Mr Provest said the committee was “very impressed with what we saw” on its visit to the court in Parramatta.
“This is a culturally appropriate initiative to address the underlying causes of offending and the committee has recommended its expansion, particularly to regional areas,” he continued.
The committee also visited three juvenile justice detention centres in Wagga Wagga, Dubbo and Airds, where representatives faced youth justice issues first-hand and spoke with detainees about what they think works and what should be improved.
“The committee considered it vital that young people’s voices be heard as part of the inquiry and case studies for some of these young people form an important part of the report,” Mr Provest explained.
During its inquiry, the committee examined diversionary options available to young offenders under the Young Offenders Act 1997, recommending changes be considered to make it easier for police and courts to divert young people away from systematic punishment through use of warnings, cautions and youth justice conferences.
The committee recommended the government examine the current age of criminal responsibility sitting at ten years of age, following stakeholder concern that this age is ‘too low.’
Stakeholder concerns played a large part in the inquiry, with the committee listening to numerous concerns surrounding the NSW Police Force’s Suspect Target Management Plan (STMP), with fears the STMP may be “undermining efforts to divert young people from the criminal justice system,” according to a statement from the committee.
Concerns were also raised that STMPs should not be applied to anyone under the age of 18 years.
While Mr Provest said “it is clear that the STMP is an important community safety tool that should be retained,” he did concede “the committee has listened to concerns and made recommendations to ensure that STMPs are policed appropriately, and to improve transparency and accountability around this important program.”
During the inquiry, the committee received 38 written submissions from various stakeholders including the NSW government, the Children’s Court of NSW, as well as legal experts and peak bodies.
Twenty-three witnesses also provided insight across three public hearings in April and May of this year.
