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Young Offenders to be Tried as Adults |
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South Australian Premier Announces: Young Repeat Offenders to Be Tried as Adults
Source: http://www.premier.sa.gov.au/news.php?id=1181
State Cabinet is considering tough new changes to the juvenile justice system that will see young repeat offenders tried as adults in court if they continue to offend.
Premier Mike Rann says young people who repeatedly thumb their nose at the system and disregard the law time and time again should be treated like adults in court.
Currently the legislation allows for youths to be tried as an adult if an application from the South Australian Police or Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is made referring the matter to a higher jurisdiction, Mr Rann says.
This law, in its current form, means that some juvenile chronic
offenders are continually moving through the justice system without
learning from or paying the consequences for their actions.
The proposed changes will mean that the most serious repeat juvenile offenders will be tried as adults.
The Attorney-General and the Families and Communities Minister have
been asked to draft legislation outlining the offences and conditions
which will see juveniles referred to adult courts.
Broad public and interest group consultation will then follow, led by
Monsignor David Cappo, the Commissioner for Social Inclusion
Most people accept that young people deserve another chance but are sick and tired of repeat youth offenders.
It is not doing them any good and it certainly not doing the community any good. The cycle needs to be broken.
By and large the juvenile justice system works well. However, there
is a small hard-core group of chronic youth offenders who need tougher
measures.
The changes will also target adult offenders who commit offences in
company with juveniles or who encourage juveniles to commit offences.
Adults who commit such aggravated offences by dragging young people into their crimes will face even harsher penalties.
The Government will not tolerate adult offenders exploiting juveniles and leading them into a life of crime.
Our proposal will also involve providing support services to young
people engaged in crime and their families to help these young people
stop offending. Mr Rann says
Acting Minister for Families and Communities, Paul Caica says these
changes to the system will be coupled with changes in the way the
system works with young offenders.
Three youth justice centres will be established to help support young
offenders by focusing on increased supervision and crime reduction,
support programs and working with offenders families and communities,
Mr Caica says.
Our communities need to feel safe. What we are examining will provide
the community with greater certainty that those who break the law,
regardless of their age, will be held accountable for their actions and
that adequate support exists for those young people who need it.
Todays announcement works in partnership with a range of initiatives
already underway that are helping young people turn their lives around.
For example our Breaking the Cycle initiative, which started in
August 2006, has been working hard with repeat offenders between the
ages of 16 and 20 who enter the justice system and are likely to
re-offend.
The program relies on the skills of specifically trained
professionals including teachers, social workers and psychologists to
identify and address the reasons behind re-offending.
At the moment we have a number of young people moving through the program, including some from Operation Mandrake. he said.
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Legislation Reform 
