A teen promised his victim he’d go back to school. New laws mean he’ll go to jail instead

Bringing young offenders face to face with their victims and using targeted police intelligence to disrupt gang hotspots is more likely to prevent children from reoffending than locking them up in adult prison, say those at the forefront of Melbourne’s youth crime crisis.

As the Victorian government promises to lock up more young people for longer periods, two government agencies warn the system is struggling to deal with young offenders and depriving children of programs proven to help break the cycle of reoffending. Youth workers say politicians are listening to pollsters rather than experts as they fall together to promise tougher action on youth crime.

But for all the blaring headlines, some young people caught up in gang violence say they’re more worried about the federal government’s looming age restrictions on social media (in case their favorite Reddit pages disappear) than the prime minister. A Reddit thread where users keep their scores online gang violence across the state “League tables” is particularly popular.

“But of course they will find another platform,” says one youth worker, who spoke anonymously due to privacy restrictions.

Time spent in adult prison scares some, he says, but usually only those who have already been inside understand that. “These kids are smart. They know the rough phrases they can get. But when they’re out with their sons, they don’t think about it. They don’t think about it. None of these policies from any party come close to solving this. And the kids are dying.”

The teenager made a promise when he confronted his victim almost a year after stealing the car from his driveway. He had come to court to apologize for the home invasion and car theft that had ruined both their lives; this was part of the Victorian restorative justice program that some young offenders could opt into before sentencing.

Julie Edwards of Jesuit Social Services, which brokers the program through the Children’s Court, says it “took courage” to be in that room. “Victims will be forthcoming.”

The night he heard intruders advancing on his home, this teenager listened to the man in front of him talk about his fears for his young child and the nightmares that followed.

The criminal promised to save money to replace the child’s car seat, but he couldn’t afford to replace the car, which was burned after being used in a series of other burglaries. He was planning to return to the sports club he left when domestic violence destroyed his own home. And he would go back to school. He promised that he would never let her come here again, that he would come face to face in the courtroom with someone he had hurt.

This is a common story in Melbourne’s youth crime crisis, according to Edwards and others who work with young offenders. Young people are committing more serious crimes than ever before, and a growing number of commentators, community groups and state politicians say children on bail must face tougher consequences to stop them offending.

Allan government promises to introduce adult sentencing for violent crimes following tougher youth bail laws; This could mean some 14-year-olds will be jailed for life for theft and trespassing.

But many experts and those in the youth justice system say this crackdown will only trap more young people into a life of crime. Instead, they say, re-establishing their connection to society by making them face the consequences of their actions and rebuilding their ties to family, school and work is a cheaper way to break the cycle of crime.

“The system is failing; our leaders are failing,” Edwards says. While he says criminals must be held accountable, he notes that more than 60 percent of children in custody are victims of trauma, abuse or neglect. But funding cuts to early intervention and school support programs mean children in need are still left on long waiting lists. “Or they’re not offered anything at all,” Edwards says.

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“There is a false distinction between this idea. [of] victims and perpetrators. Most of the time we are talking about the same people. “We really care about the victims too, but the victims are not stupid…they want what works.”

On Friday, the state watchdog took the rare step of warning Allan’s government and leaders of the major parties about further human rights abuses under the proposed legislation.

“My office is already seeing the effects of recent bail laws that increase both complaints to our office and integrity risks in the industry,” Ombudsman Marlo Baragwanath wrote.

Baragwanath wrote that complaints from adult and youth prisons are up 20 percent from last year, with behavioral issues such as use of force and abuse of power doubling in that time and now accounting for 14 percent of all complaints. His office “expected a 157 per cent increase in youth justice complaints even before the announced reforms came into force”.

“Our studies show that rapid increases in the number of people in custody lead to less humane treatment and less effective rehabilitation, which does not improve community safety in the long term.”

Data released in Victoria’s youth parole board report last month also paints a troubling picture. While the system is now overrun with young offenders, their cases are taking longer to resolve, and access to rehabilitation programs for incarcerated children, from education to drug and alcohol interventions to mentoring, is not what it should be.

“Most of the time that doesn’t happen,” Edwards says. “Many young people spend most or most of their sentences getting nothing.”

Due to recent pressures, more children are now being held in pretrial detention. Once they begin their sentences, there is often not much (or any) time left for them to serve, which means they do not have the opportunity to finish programs shown to help reduce recidivism.

The youth parole board warned that “since the last financial year, we have seen a 53 per cent increase in the length of sentences served for young people” and said this could “restrict access to rehabilitative and transitional supports”.

Many of the children caught in crime are among the state’s most vulnerable, often wandering around shelters and foster homes, looking for a place to belong. Data from the youth parole board shows that nearly half of juvenile detainees have a history of alcohol and drug use; More than a third were under the influence of alcohol when they committed the crime.

“These are very high numbers,” says Chris Christoforou, chief executive of the Drug and Alcohol Association of Victoria. “If we are going to be serious about tackling youth crime then we need to do more to intervene early in some of the patterns of substance-related behaviour.”

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Christoforou, whose organization represents more than 80 alcohol and drug services in Victoria, says funding for youth treatment has remained flat in recent years despite growing demand. The association’s data showed more than 400 young people were waiting to access treatment last month.

Youth workers have warned that many young people could still come into possession of contraband in places of youth detention. “And the system is often too clinical for kids,” one employee said. “The last thing they want to do is see a psychologist. Most of the time you need a court to force them to go.”

Mark Watt teaches a group of teenagers how to pack boxes and stack shelves at a warehouse in South Dandenong. The training is part of a six-week program from Social Engine, a small non-profit organization that gives vulnerable youth skills to hold down a job. Last year, the program found jobs for 30 people.

Watt’s youth mentoring program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, currently has more than 1,000 youth on its waiting list. He says starting kids off at an early age is key to keeping them away from crime. “Giving young people a job and a mentor is much more valuable than putting them in prison,” he says. “The statistics are there. The research is there.”

As for the core group of 200-odd repeat offenders who largely determine Victoria’s youth crime rates, experts say it is never too late. Mentoring from life-changing peers has yielded particularly promising results, even in the state’s most notorious youth crimes.

“And to be honest, it could be really critical to follow up with targeted police interventions on some of these children, to enable officers to identify hotspots and use their information for preventive work,” says one youth worker.

Those who work with young offenders say: stabbing death of two young people His lack of ties to gangs in September had a greater impact than any recent legislative change. One of the boys, 12-year-old Chol Achiek, is believed to be the youngest person to die so far in Melbourne’s youth gang crisis. Age He was linked to more than 20 murders in the last five years.

“I’ve seen men who I never thought would abandon the lifestyle reconsider and join the programs,” one worker said. “Despite all this, I have hope that things can change.”

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The government has also vowed to go after organized crime bosses who recruit young people into gangs, but youth workers are desperate that prison itself is a prime gang hunting ground for young members. R.constant research Shows how young a child is incarcerated More they will likely transition into the adult criminal lifestyle.

“And it’s unlikely any of these kids would rat out organized crime bosses anyway,” says one youth worker.

Meanwhile, the Juvenile Court may face restorative hearings that bring offenders and victims together. These aren’t for everyone, Edwards says, but they can be healing for both parties. “Some boys can turn them into works of art. We’ve even had victims offer a job to a boy.”

But when Adele Andrews considers interviewing the machete-wielding teenagers who broke into her Black Rock home in March, she says it’s not the answer for her, but she can see how it could bring closure to other victims.

But Andrews describes the government’s crackdown on young people as “ridiculous”. He would prefer to see criminals put to work on farms and learning skills rather than being sent to adult prison. “Meeting the perpetrator is not a solution for me. Knowing that these kids have learned a hard lesson.”

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