YAC appear at Youth Justice Reform Committee Hearing
Last week Youth Advocacy Centre CEO, Katherine Hayes, appeared before the Youth Justice Reform Select Committee in Queensland, alongside representatives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (QLD) Ltd
The hearings have been an opportunity for sector experts to provide to the Committee their insights as to what youth justice reform should look like.
There were positive signs throughout the hearing, with a consistent message that reform should address the root causes and not focus on punitive measures. Many witnesses emphasised that community safety and the safety of at-risk children go hand-in-hand and must be pursued in tandem.
However, there is a risk that these positive steps could falter under the intense political pressure in Queensland to adopt a ‘tough on crime’ approach. There were also some suggestions that removal of detention as a last resort may be considered, which YAC strongly opposes
YAC Solicitor Damian Bartholomew also appeared at the hearing in his role with Queensland Law Society. You can view the hearings here: https://tv.parliament.qld.gov.au/TV/SearchCommittee/59
Getting to the root causes of juvenile offending has been touted for decades as being the solution to the problem.
As such, the juvenile crime issue has been permitted to fester to the extent that we now have a dangerous situation on our hands.
One (among many) justifications for incarceration of the serious recidivists is that by removing them from mainstream society, disables their influence on would-be younger offenders.