Political posturingPolitical posturing jeopardises good policy that can help our kidsI am writing in response to an article in the Sunday Telegraph on April 8, titled Liberals put Attorney-General Greg Smith on trial. It is time for politicians to stop articulating knee-jerk reactions and trying to assert ‘I’m the toughest’ and start implementing best practice and decisions based on research and evidence when it comes to our kids.It is disappointing, but not surprising, to see recent reports where the NSW Attorney-General, Greg Smith, has been judged by politicians to have ‘left leanings’ and to be ‘soft on crime’ following his intention to change bail laws to reduce the number of young people spending time in prison. Bail review for our young people and review of the Juvenile Justice System is vital. The Attorney General’s position in asking for a distinction to be made between adults and children in regards to bail laws is a step in the right direction, and is just one of the issues around juvenile justice faced by Australia today. The focus on allegations of political leanings ‘which were closer to the left of the Labor Party on issues of rehabilitation and sentencing’ smacks of political posturing rather than an interest in discussing the complex issue of Juvenile Justice. Why is everything centred around politicians and their ‘leanings’? I don’t need to defend anyone, but I do need to fight for the best outcomes for our young people. The road the Attorney General is taking is based on research and evidence. I have been fighting for years to get justice for our young people.Good policy cannot be determined by reflecting on the most extreme cases as we feed on the hysteria generated for quick fixes. Tough sentences for extreme cases are acceptable – I have called for very long and life long sentences for people who sexually assault children and young people – but they seem to get off lightly – unlike our young. Good policy should drive decisions and the impact across the community will be less crime. Let us step away from the posturing of politicians and talk about the issue of jailing young people. We need to answer the following question: are young people different from adults? The answer is definitely yes. Should they be dealt with differently from adults and the answer is definitely yes. They are growing and developing, their brains are forming and they are therefore open to rehabilitation.What makes a person a recidivist? Putting them there in the first place.What we know: incarceration doesn’t work. It should be the very last option for our young. A code of punishment leads to increased levels of violence. Rehabilitation makes young people accountable and responsible for their behaviour and returns them to their families and community.When we hear about the extreme cases we forget who is really in our Juvenile Justice Centres. Who are they? Here are some cold facts:nDespite only making up 3% of the total young people aged 12-24 in Australia, Aboriginal youth comprise 56.3% of the total detention population.¹nApproximately 13% of young people in custody and 11% on community disorders could have a disability. They need mental health treatment, not lock up.²n46% of the boys and 22% of the girls are Out-of-Home-Care young people (used to be called State Wards).³ And if facts do not convince you that this discussion should be had, here is a glimpse of the life of a young person in our care. 13 year old Zac* was referred to one of our residential programs – five years after he witnessed his Dad shoot his mother and then turn the gun on himself, killing himself in front of this seven year old. This seven year old boy had been sexually assaulted by his father since he was two years old. In the years between the death of his parents and his arrival at our service, he had been placed in 42 different places. Parents, imagine if you son or daughter was placed in 42 homes. The first day he arrived at our service, he was very abusive to me and I felt like locking him up. But I paused and understood that he was testing if we would be like all the other 42 services that turned him away when he was abusive. I knew that if I placed him in a Juvenile Detention Centre that he would be in and out of jail for the rest of his life and he would wreak violence whenever he would be released. Nine years later, Zac* completed Year 10, was respectful to others, got a traineeship and was able to live independently. We must heal our troubled kids, not further traumatise. Let’s hope that our politicians think that too.
Father Chris RileyChief Executive OfficerYouth Off The Streets Ltd
Political posturing
Political posturing jeopardises good policy that can help our kids
I am writing in response to an article in the Sunday Telegraph on April 8, titled Liberals put Attorney-General Greg Smith on trial. It is time for politicians to stop articulating knee-jerk reactions and trying to assert ‘I’m the toughest’ and start implementing best practice and decisions based on research and evidence when it comes to our kids.
It is disappointing, but not surprising, to see recent reports where the NSW Attorney-General, Greg Smith, has been judged by politicians to have ‘left leanings’ and to be ‘soft on crime’ following his intention to change bail laws to reduce the number of young people spending time in prison. Bail review for our young people and review of the Juvenile Justice System is vital. The Attorney General’s position in asking for a distinction to be made between adults and children in regards to bail laws is a step in the right direction, and is just one of the issues around juvenile justice faced by Australia today.
The focus on allegations of political leanings ‘which were closer to the left of the Labor Party on issues of rehabilitation and sentencing’ smacks of political posturing rather than an interest in discussing the complex issue of Juvenile Justice. Why is everything centred around politicians and their ‘leanings’? I don’t need to defend anyone, but I do need to fight for the best outcomes for our young people. The road the Attorney General is taking is based on research and evidence. I have been fighting for years to get justice for our young people.
Good policy cannot be determined by reflecting on the most extreme cases as we feed on the hysteria generated for quick fixes. Tough sentences for extreme cases are acceptable – I have called for very long and life long sentences for people who sexually assault children and young people – but they seem to get off lightly – unlike our young. Good policy should drive decisions and the impact across the community will be less crime.
Let us step away from the posturing of politicians and talk about the issue of jailing young people. We need to answer the following question: are young people different from adults? The answer is definitely yes. Should they be dealt with differently from adults and the answer is definitely yes. They are growing and developing, their brains are forming and they are therefore open to rehabilitation.
What makes a person a recidivist? Putting them there in the first place.
What we know: incarceration doesn’t work. It should be the very last option for our young. A code of punishment leads to increased levels of violence. Rehabilitation makes young people accountable and responsible for their behaviour and returns them to their families and community.
When we hear about the extreme cases we forget who is really in our Juvenile Justice Centres. Who are they? Here are some cold facts:
nDespite only making up 3% of the total young people aged 12-24 in Australia, Aboriginal youth comprise 56.3% of the total detention population.¹
nApproximately 13% of young people in custody and 11% on community disorders could have a disability. They need mental health treatment, not lock up.²
n46% of the boys and 22% of the girls are Out-of-Home-Care young people (used to be called State Wards).³
And if facts do not convince you that this discussion should be had, here is a glimpse of the life of a young person in our care. 13 year old Zac* was referred to one of our residential programs – five years after he witnessed his Dad shoot his mother and then turn the gun on himself, killing himself in front of this seven year old. This seven year old boy had been sexually assaulted by his father since he was two years old. In the years between the death of his parents and his arrival at our service, he had been placed in 42 different places. Parents, imagine if you son or daughter was placed in 42 homes. The first day he arrived at our service, he was very abusive to me and I felt like locking him up. But I paused and understood that he was testing if we would be like all the other 42 services that turned him away when he was abusive. I knew that if I placed him in a Juvenile Detention Centre that he would be in and out of jail for the rest of his life and he would wreak violence whenever he would be released. Nine years later, Zac* completed Year 10, was respectful to others, got a traineeship and was able to live independently.
We must heal our troubled kids, not further traumatise. Let’s hope that our politicians think that too.
Father Chris Riley
Chief Executive Officer
Youth Off The Streets Ltd
