[Greens-Media] (Hale MLC)

[Colin Hesse]

Media Release

>From Sylvia Hale, Greens MP and spokesperson for Juvenile Justice

7 May 2010   - For immediate use
       
Labor decision on juvenile justice fails young people, and the future,
say Greens
 
The State Government’s decision to reject a consultant’s report
that recommends addressing the social issues underlying juvenile crime
has been condemned by Greens Juvenile Justice spokesperson, Sylvia Hale
MLC.
 
“This report, the first review of Juvenile Justice in NSW since 1993,
represented a real opportunity to reduce offending by young people and
to reduce the number of young people held in gaol.
 
“There was a 43% increase in the average daily number of young people
in custody between 2003⁄04 and 2007⁄08, at the same time as the level of
juvenile crime has remained static.
 
“The failure of the Government to move toward a system which focuses
on keeping young people away from trouble in the first place is truly
shocking, and will come at great cost to NSW taxpayers as well as great
personal cost to the individuals involved.
 
“Under this Government, juvenile justice has moved away from the
successful model of restorative justice which focused on prevention,
diversion and community based programs to engage young people at risk.
 
“The Government and the Opposition both stand condemned for their
focus on so called ‘law and order’ and ‘tough on crime’
interventions which have seen a shocking rise in the number of young
people behind bars, and there is simply no evidence that indicates this
approach make our streets safer.
 
“It is well known that early intervention in then lives of children
at risk will divert large numbers away from the juvenile justice system,
and it beggars belief that any government would fail to take the
appropriate action to ensure this outcome.
 
“While there are some very useful programs in our big cities to
assist young people who have offended, these programs are often not
provided at all in regional and remote locations thus reinforcing the
inequality faced by young people living in those areas, and in
particular the disadvantage faced by young Indigenous people.
 
“The review found that ‘Indigenous offending is a highly complex
issue with deep seated and long standing social disadvantage being the
root cause of indigenous over-representation in the NSW juvenile justice
system’.
 
“The Government must urgently review this decision, and take a
position of leadership so that young people are not thrown on the scrap
heap by a government more interested in sounding tough than actually
helping the young people of NSW not just keep out of trouble, but
actually build happy, healthy and constructive lives”, said Ms Hale.

 Contact: Colin Hesse on 02 9230 3030 or 0401 719 124