April 26, 2023
Communities and governments need to be smarter, not tougher, against youth crime, according to University of Southern Queensland criminologist Dr Suzanne Reich.
Dr Reich is one of the co-organisers of a conference focusing on youth justice which will be held in Toowoomba on May 11.
The 3rd Vulnerable Persons Conference: Youth Justice will provide a platform for some of Australia’s top legal, policing and academic minds to explore the key issues.
Dr Reich said the conference would allow for open conversation and discussion, with anyone interested in the topic welcome to attend.
It will feature presentations from criminal justice representatives, government stakeholders, legal practitioners, victims’ services and people with lived experience.
One of the main speakers will be former Queensland Police Service Commissioner Bob Atkinson who was appointed to review the youth justice system in 2018.
He outlined 77 recommendations for reform that helped guide Queensland’s Youth Justice Strategy from 2019-23.
This strategy was based on “four pillars”, ie, early intervention, keeping children out of court, keeping children out of custody and reducing reoffending.
One of the central concerns highlighted in the strategy was 10 per cent of young offenders committed 44 per cent of all crimes executed by young people and were among some of the most vulnerable groups.
“The current responses to youth crime primarily react to and punish the offending behaviour,” Dr Reich said.
“However, offending behaviour is generally a sign of a more significant issue in the person’s life, and yet for many these underlying issues seem to remain inadequately addressed.
“These issues might stem from homelessness, poverty, poor education, family breakdown, removal from communities, mental health/cognitive conditions and disorders, poor physical health, and long-term transience, to name a few.
“Young people thrive when they have stability, a place to feel safe, a community in which they find a sense of belonging, opportunities to achieve goals, positive role models and the chance to engage in activities that bring value to their lives.
“If this is missing, they will fulfil this need elsewhere, and for some, that will be by way of criminal activity in the company of others.”
Dr Reich said developing a holistic approach to youth crime problems at a community level was the key to stem the recent spike in the number of young people engaging in offending behaviour.
“We cannot solely rely on the government to provide the solutions to the problem of crime committed by young people,” she said.
“There are solutions to the problem of youth crime within our communities.
“These solutions can be formulated and then implemented by the community.
“The benefit of doing so is for the community; everybody wins.
“A community that does not care about its young people is a community that its young people do not care about.”
- More information about the Vulnerable Persons Conference is available online
