The South Australian Government has unveiled its plan to crack down on recidivist young offenders with tougher bail and sentencing laws, along with a multi-million dollar investment in specialised programs to help break the cycle of reoffending.
Key elements of the plan include:
- Toughening bail laws for serious repeat young offenders;
- Strengthening penalties for young offenders with extensive criminal histories;
- Cracking down on youth street gangs by giving police greater powers similar to what they have for Outlaw Motor Cycle Gangs; and
- A $3 million investment in programs to support young offenders to break the cycle of re-offending.
South Australia has the second lowest youth offending rate in the nation behind only ACT.
Over the past financial year, 20 young people were responsible for roughly 11% of all matters before the Youth Court, with advice from South Australia Police indicating that a small cohort of repeat offenders are responsible for a disproportionate rate of offending.
A $3 million investment in intervention programs targeting young people in this cohort will be made to offer a last-resort chance for offenders at risk of entering the adult justice system.
“In South Australia, we are fortunate to have one of the lowest rates of youth offenders in the nation, behind only the ACT,” said SA Attorney-General, Kyam Maher.
“South Australia Police have made clear there’s a small cohort of young people who are responsible for a greater proportion of youth offending in SA. This is why action is needed to ensure we are dealing with this issue.
“An increased investment in rehabilitation and intervention will help ensure we can break the cycle of offending where possible, while tougher penalties will send a clear message to those unwilling to engage that there will be serious consequences if they continue down this path.”
A review of the Bail Act will also be referred to the South Australian Law Reform Institute to assess its practical operation and role in the criminal justice system, and to see if it is balancing the rights of an accused with the safety of the community.
“SAPOL has been working with the Government in relation to enhanced approaches to serious and recidivist young offenders,” said SA Police Commissioner, Grant Stevens.
“This includes identifying opportunities to mitigate the risk to community safety arising from young people committing serious crimes and significant recidivist young offenders. SAPOL sees this plan as a step in the right direction to curb the impact of a small cohort of juveniles through prevention and intervention opportunities.”
Attorney-General Maher is set to convene a roundtable with stakeholders to discuss appropriate responses and interventions for serious repeat young offenders who fail to respond to more general interventions and sentencing outcomes.
A copy of the Young Offender Plan can be found here.
