NCJ Number
148983
Date Published
1993
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article reviews juvenile justice policies in Australian states and territories, with particular reference to Aboriginal young offenders, and discusses the need for a stronger national juvenile justice policy.
Abstract
Currently, Australian states and territories are moving in different, and sometimes opposite, directions in juvenile justice policy. Western Australia and South Australia have adopted draconian juvenile justice measures that include mandatory indeterminate detention of certain juveniles and restrictions on the ability of the courts to address offenses and offenders on a case-by-case basis. These policies disproportionately impact Aboriginal young offenders because of their disproportionate contact with the juvenile justice system in most of the states. New South Wales, on the other hand, is emphasizing court diversion schemes and community-based options for young offenders. Although juvenile justice systems are run by the state and territory governments, their impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth requires the Commonwealth to take interest in the systems. This is because the Commonwealth has primary governmental responsibility for the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. A national approach to juvenile justice should have four primary objectives: promoting crime prevention, focusing on the rehabilitation of young offenders, addressing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in the juvenile justice system, and setting national standards for the processing of juveniles who have been accused or convicted of crime. 11 references and 4 tables