Former Australian Minister for Indigenous Australians, Robert Tickner, is calling for a total re-think of existing youth crime policies. He urges a stronger response from governments to heed experts’ advice and fund projects as needed. As the Northern Territory grapples with the highest youth detention rates in Australia, Tickner underscored that true change will only be achieved when governments prioritize evidence-based strategies.
In a recent conference on youth crime and incarceration, as the Australian Institute of Criminology’s Rick Tickner explained, Aboriginal youth are increasingly over-represented in youth detentions. The numbers tell a shocking story – on any day, between 94% and 100% of kids in custody are Aboriginal. This completely unacceptable number is a sign of a painful truth—that all of the work to narrow the gap in incarceration rates has been ground to a halt.
The Northern Territory will reduce the age of criminal responsibility to as young as 10 in 2024. This decision has only exacerbated the issue. Tickner noted that since the Royal Commission’s report on Aboriginal deaths in custody in 1991, conditions have worsened for many young offenders. He said not much has changed in the systemic attitude toward youth justice in Australia since that landmark report.
Tickner’s sentiments were echoed by Shahleena Musk, who spoke about her run-ins with the justice system. Having spent most of her life cycling in and out of incarceration, Musk stated that 85% of children previously detained return to prison within a year. This disturbing statistic makes it clear that we need to be focused on prevention, not punishment.
“You know, I’ve seen how the system was just churning people out – in and out, in and out – and it really annoyed me. I got really mad about nothing being done to stop the offending.” – Rocket
As a member of Perth’s Noongar community, Rocket provided her own story of navigating the complexities of the prison system. She argued that in-patient rehabilitation programs to help people fight their addiction are desperately needed. She argued that addressing root causes is the key to interrupting the pattern of recidivism.
Catherine Liddle, chief executive of national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s peak SNAICC, echoed these fears on the direction of Australia’s youth justice system. As an Arrernte/Luritja woman from Central Australia, her words conveyed just how profoundly she cares. Australia is failing on both national and international fronts on the treatment of vulnerable children.
Mindy Sotiri, a violent crime survivor and advocate for community-led solutions to accountability and support, urges press to shift the focus onto the arms of support. We have to provide preventative and intervention programs to keep these children out of the child safety system and out of the justice system, she said. “Not legislation that fills the jails and the new detention centres being built.”
Sotiri’s remarks reflect a growing recognition among experts that merely increasing incarceration rates is not a sustainable or effective solution. Instead we need to invest in community resources, immediately. These resources can be used to address the root causes of youth crime in a more impactful way.
The conference highlighted broader societal impacts. For Bec, a victim of crime herself, her family’s journey to healing since has been plagued by trauma and fear. She argued that adequate punishment for offenders should not be paid for with community safety and peace.
“As a victim, our entire family has been traumatized. We feel like prisoners in our own home now… That should be where we feel the most safe but now we feel vulnerable.” – Bec
Tickner’s observations about these legislative changes should give us all pause. He noted how recent legislation has leaned towards enforcing punishment rather than support and reintegration programs for communities.
“We passed the first round of ‘adult crime, adult time’ before Christmas. In the past couple of weeks we’ve passed the second round.” – Robert Tickner
Researchers, educators, and advocacy groups alike have spoken out against these changes. They contend that these strategies don’t even begin to address the underlying issues driving youth crime. The implications of these statistics are staggering. A 2022 report from the Sentencing Advisory Council in Victoria shows that children aged 10 to 12 who are sentenced are more likely to reoffend.
Lia Finocchiaro, an advocate for systemic change, commented on this downward trend: “The Northern Territory has the highest detention rate in the nation… so we’re regressing when it comes to Closing the Gap targets.” Her fiery statement sums up an increasing anger from community leaders that cites approaches as not being enough to shield at-risk children.
