Preventative and Diversionary Programs in Western Australia (From National Conference on Juvenile Justice, P 449-456, 1993, Lynn Atkinson and Sally-Anne Gerull, eds. -- See NCJ-148673)

• NCJ Number: 148712
• Author(s): P Bartholomew
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: From proceedings of the National Conference on Juvenile Justice, held in Adelaide, Australia, September 22-24, 1992.

Annotation

This paper profiles the prevention and diversionary programs in Western Australia designed to reduce the number of juveniles formally processed by the juvenile court system.

Abstract

Western Australia has traditionally processed a large number of juveniles through its formal justice system. This is evidenced by the high percentage of juveniles arrested rather than summonsed, the small percentage of youth being diverted from the formal court system, and the large number of youth who appear before the court. There is little evidence to indicate that offending rates or serious offending are any higher in Western Australia than in other parts of the country. A number of prevention and diversionary measures have been implemented in the last few years to reduce both the offending level and the number of juveniles who appear in court. In the area of prevention, the Western Australian Government launched its "kids and crime" package in 1988. It provided funds for employment and training, local offender and school support programs, parent skills training, and alcohol and substance abuse programs. The major strategies underlying these programs are early intervention, interagency cooperation, community involvement, the funding of private agencies to provide appropriate services, targeting programs to address local needs, supporting families, and emphasizing education and employment. Regarding pre-court diversion, the police cautioning system was begun on August 1, 1991. From August 1991 to May 1992, 3,226 cautions were issued. During this time there was a 9.7-percent decrease in the number of juveniles appearing before the children's panel, the traditional means of diverting juveniles from the more formal children's court. To complement police cautioning the Department for Community Services established the Killara Youth Support Service, which provides a range of services to families. Police may refer their caution notices to this agency. A means of diverting juveniles from custody is the detention order. These orders allow youth to remain in their employment, seek work, attend educational programs, or participate in work programs. Curfews or other conditions may be imposed. A failure to comply with contract provisions will result in the juvenile returning to court and possibly being placed in a detention center. 3 references