NCJ Number
140939
Journal
Criminology Australia Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (July-August 1992) Pages: 21- 23
Date Published
1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
New South Wales is the first Australian state to have established an autonomous body to delivery juvenile justice services. The emphasis in the juvenile justice system has shifted from incarceration to family-focused rehabilitation services and diversion.
Abstract
As a result, community-based services have increased, Community Youth Centers provide specialist community-based attendance programs for appropriately assessed offenders, and juvenile justice centers emphasize individual casework management. The use of precourt diversion and police cautioning should reduce the contact of juveniles with the system and make more funds available for community-based programs and delinquency prevention initiatives. Several community services provide the courts with alternatives to incarceration while simultaneously providing reparation to the community. These include juvenile justice community services, community service orders, railway reparation schemes, fine default orders, parole supervision, community youth center programs, personal development programs, and traffic offender programs. Juvenile justice centers provide a range of general programs focusing on education, vocational training, life skills development, counseling programs, religious support, and special cultural support. Finally, services for aboriginal youthful offenders have been enhanced through the establishment of special foster homes, cultural awareness programs, rural training projects, and justice panels.