‘Remember those who are in prison as though you were in prison with them’ (Hebrews 13:3; Matthew 25:31-46)
According to the YMCA, in Victoria, almost half of young offenders will be imprisoned as adults. This is very expensive as, for example, it costs around $113,000 per adult prison place per year.
Thankfully, in Australia, all jurisdictions have laws that ensure that detention should be a ‘last resort’ for juveniles. That’s good because there is a growing belief that the emphasis in juvenile justice ought to move from simple punishment towards making young offenders accountable for their actions, while at the same time involving families in making decisions about their children and in addressing the needs and rights of victims.
For example, the Tasmanian ‘U-Turn’ program allows young offenders, like Zac (see clip below), to get training and restore crime-damaged vehicles for victims of motor vehicle crime.
Zac’s Journey with Tasmanian ‘U-Turn’
What works? Supporting young people to reduce crime for a safer community…
Strong families, schools and communities (probably in that order) are very important to safeguard the wellbeing of young people.
Where young people feel connected to family and school there is much less likelihood of problems with the law. On the flipside where there is financial stress on families, parents can struggle and this makes young people more vulnerable to local neighbourhood crime problems.
Some further links
- See juvenile justice reinvestment (fact sheet) (Justice and International Mission Unit) “juvenile justice corrected”
- See sentences for children and young people and violent crime submission (Justice and International Mission Unit) “Statutory Minimum Sentences …”
- See submission to Tasmanian Agenda for Children and Young People (Justice and International Mission Unit) “Submission to Tasmanian agenda …”
- National Council of Churches in Australia material on prisons and justice
- A Christian approach to crime, prisons and community (Victorian Council of Churches) (2010)
