[Greens-Media] (Shoebridge MLC) NSW gaols its children at 4 times the rate of Victoria and the NSW Government has no solution

[Colin Hesse]

Media release

>From David Shoebridge, Greens MP and spokesperson for Juvenile Justice

14 September 2010   - For immediate use
 
NSW gaols its children at 4 times the rate of Victoria and the NSW Government has no solution
 
Question:  "Minister, can you please explain what is so different about New South Wales, particularly our children, that your Government jails our children at more than four times the rate than they do just across the border in Victoria?"  David Shoebridge Greens MLC and spokesperson for Juvenile Justice
 
Answer: "I want to make some things clear. Victoria and other States are very different from us; in particular, Victoria is very different in its demographic make-up. ..." Minister Perry.
 
Welcome to juvenile justice NSW style as disclosed at today's budget estimates hearing in the NSW parliament.  
 
The State Labor Government has blamed demographic factors for NSW's high rate of juvenile incarceration, which are four times that of Victoria.
 
"The Government's response in budget estimates hearings today is either a cop out or an attempt to dismiss the appalling record NSW has in locking up indigenous young people in particular," said Mr Shoebridge.
 
"Both Juvenile Justice Minister Barbara Perry and Attorney General John Hatzistergos argued that the high rate of incarceration of juveniles in NSW is due to some mysterious difference between the make-up of the NSW population as against that in Victoria.  What a nonsense!
 
"This government's failure of our indigenous young people is even more stark.  The figures were bad enough in 2007/08 with indigenous children, who comprise only 2.5% of young people, making up 45% of juveniles gaoled in NSW.  However in answers to estimates today Minister Perry confirmed that the situation has deteriorated with indigenous children now representing over 49% of the children in detention."  Mr Shoebridge said.  "It is shameful that indigenous children in NSW are more than 28 times more likely to be placed in juvenile detention than non-indigenous children."
 
The Greens are calling on the government to turn these statistics around by adopting the primary recommendation of the Noetic Report on Juvenile Justice released in April this year and divert resources from gaoling our children to preventative and early intervention programmes.  
 
The Noetic report called for $348 million in projected increased expenditure in gaoling our children over the next 6 years to instead be redirected to prevention and intervention based on the principle of Justice reinvestment.  This recommendation has been rejected by the NSW Government which instead has adopted for just more of the same," said Mr Shoebridge.
 
 
Contact: David Shoebridge on 0408 113952 or Colin Hesse (Media officer) on 02 9230 3030 or 0401 719 124