Youth advocacy

The Salvation Army provided a submission to New South Wales Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety, responding to the Inquiry into Community Safety in Regional and Rural Communities.

The NSW Government sought input to identify the drivers of crime amongst children and young people in rural and regional NSW, approaches to reduce the root causes of crime and methods to implement wraparound diversionary services.

The Salvation Army’s submission drew upon our diverse frontline experience supporting young people, across rural, country, and regional NSW, and discussed the strong connection between children experiencing disadvantage and those being disproportionately impacted criminal justice responses.

We identified the critical need for all people, including children, young people, and families, to live in communities which are safe and supportive. Whilst we recognised the damaging impact of offending behaviour on victims, survivors, families, and communities, we also acknowledged that hardline, punitive responses and locking up children and young people, does not free communities from crime.

Our submission advocated for focus to be on a supportive model which prioritises sustainable, targeted investment in place-based, community led programs.

Our submission discussed that youth justice reforms must consider the following:

• Most children and young people who offend engage in relatively low-level conduct. Children who engage in more harmful conduct have generally been exposed to more frequent and extreme risk factors,
• Early contact with the criminal justice system is a strong predictor of reoffending and criminalising children perpetuates offending and exacerbates the seriousness of harmful behaviour,
• Responses to youth crime must prioritise prevention and early intervention to address the drivers of crime and avoid the onset of harmful behaviour, and
• Diversion models which focus on building the capacity of young people through restorative justice approaches are essential to break cycles of crime, reduce recidivism and prevent long term criminal justice involvement.

At the heart of our submission was the need for responses to children and young people who offend, to be compassionate, holistic, and prioritise the safeguarding of children.