Latest news with #youthoffenders
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘Turning them into criminals': Mum's desperate plea for youth crime crackdown as Premier responds
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has responded to a mother's desperate pleas for harsher youth crime penalties, over fears her teenage son might kill someone, or lose his own life without harsher sentencing. The woman - known only as Stacey - told The Courier Mail she feels the government's focus on Adult Time, Adult Crime laws don't work and the problem instead lies with the judicial system. She said her 14-year-old son had been a regular visitor to court for the past three years for breaking into homes, stealing cars and abusing drugs. Stacey claims her child walked away with a slap on the wrist each time. 'I've told the judge in court. I've told the police, I've told everyone that it's not going to end until he kills someone or he kills himself,' Stacey told The Courier Mail. 'We are turning them into criminals by not punishing them. 'It's like parents not disciplining their kids – and it's worse because they have the authority to do something.' '…When they go to court now, the judge might talk about adult time for adult crime – but it never happens. She said the current judicial outcomes are not working, and by letting them off time after time allows the youth offenders to 'get better' at crime by understanding how to 'work the system'. 'When you just keep letting them out, they get smarter and they figure out that they need to leave one car here, and one car here, and another here,' she said. 'They get better at what they do. How is that helping?' Speaking on Today on Monday morning, Mr Crisafulli said the first round of the Adult Crime, Adult Time laws were passed just before Christmas - resulting in youth offenders facing tougher consequences for 13 offences. A second round of tougher penalties passed on May 22, expanding the offence list to that of 33, including attempted murder, sexual assault, and aggravated attempted robbery. He said Stacey's story was 'heartbreaking' 'It's a cry for help from someone who wants more,' Mr Crisafulli told the program. 'We're about to go out in our first budget in the largest investment in early intervention and rehabilitation, and we're finally seeing police numbers get back up off the canvas. 'Some of the reoffending rates are starting to come down – we've had a fall in the first quarter in things like break and enter as well as stolen cars. 'We're certainly not celebrating, there's a long way to go and if further changes are needed, and we believe there are, you bet they will happen because we are not going to keep living through the youth crime crisis that we've inherited from ten years of weaker laws and fewer police.' The provision that says detention has to be a last resort has been removed, he added. 'We've got two focuses,' Mr Crisafulli said. 'The first is on early intervention. We've got to stop kids like this falling through the cracks. 'Then at the other end, you need stronger laws and you need consequences for actions. 'Otherwise, that merry-go-round just keeps going round and round and round.'
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on young offenders: amid rising violence, they need support to change
The recent deterioration of conditions for young offenders has been overshadowed by the wider crisis engulfing prisons in England and Wales. But the accounts given to the Guardian by three mothers of sons who are currently in HMP Swinfen Hall, in Staffordshire, offer a disturbing insight into the exceptionally high levels of violence that have become normalised. Their descriptions of 'constant fear', casual knifings and 'drugs and knives everywhere' are chilling. Two of the women said that they agreed with the decision to jail their sons. But reading their testimony, which echoes the findings of a recent prison inspectorate survey, it is impossible to believe that any rehabilitative purpose is being served. The suggestion by one of the women that her son is becoming more violent rather than less due to the conditions rings alarmingly true, and is in line with the conclusion of David Gauke's independent review of sentencing that prisons are failing to reduce reoffending. Men's prisons are often dangerous places, with last month's attack on prison officers by Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland just one example of the risks faced by staff as well as inmates. In parts of the youth justice estate – which holds those aged up to 21 in young offender institutions (YOIs), secure training centres and council-run secure children's homes – the problem is particularly acute. The state's special responsibility towards children, and the importance of providing second chances to those convicted when young, means this failing system requires an action plan of its own. Of the current youth custody population, 53% are minority ethnic and 63% have spent time in care. Ministers agreed in March that girls would no longer be held in YOIs, following another report. But as 97% of young people in jail are male, they are the bigger problem. Overcrowding is not an issue in youth prisons as it is in adult ones. But the lack of suitable educational provision for a group of young men who desperately need it, more than half of whom have special needs, is nothing short of tragic. So is the amount of time that many spend locked in their cells. Staff shortages are one reason why violence is so out of control that ministers recently agreed to the use of pepper spray in some circumstances. The rate of assaults on staff, which is 14 times higher than in men's prisons, can partly be explained by the fact that more than two-thirds of those in YOIs are there for violent offences. But it is clear from recent inspection reports that the number of 'keep-aparts', who are not allowed to mix due to the risk of fights, is unsustainable. The youth custody population is less than a quarter of what it was 15 years ago, so there has been progress as well as decline. Since the threshold for custody has been significantly raised, these institutions are bound to be challenging places. But Mr Gauke's review noted that young people's impressionable natures mean that they have both a higher rate of reoffending than adults and also higher potential to desist. As ministers plan their sentencing reforms, boys in custody must not be written off.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Prison officers at youth jails 'warned to NOT take TVs away from disruptive teenagers'
Wardens are having to give back TVs they have confiscated from teens for violence or bad behaviour in a 'decency' drive. Officers in youth jails have been left stunned by the instruction - which sees sets returned to lags, including rapists and murderers. An email from the governor of Fetham Young Offenders Institution, in west London, told staff the removal could lead to 'frustration' among the teenagers. In the year up to March 2024 the facility saw 410 violent incidents - a rate of 488 incidents per 100 children. It is considered to be the most violent in England and Wales, with authorities finding 343 weapons in a year - nearly one a day. A source said confiscating TVs is one of the only ways to punish young offenders. 'Now we have been told we can't take them away even if they assault us. Predictably, since the boys have found out, this the place has gone wild,' a source told The Sun. The order is also reported to be being rolled out at institutions in Werrington in Staffordshire, Wetherby in West Yorkshire and Bridgend in South Wales. Just last month justice secretay Shabana Mahmood authorised the use of pepper spray at young offender institutions at Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby. 'If a TV is to be considered for removal, a case will need to be raised to the Deputy Governor,' the email said, as seen by The Sun. 'Leaving boys without a TV is one of the sources of frustration that leads to instability - so will help to drive to safety through decency.' A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told the newspaper: 'Staff cannot remove TVs, but they are encouraged to look at other options.' Last year Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor painted a disturbing picture of conditions inside Feltham A young offender institution (YOI), describing a volatile environment where children aged between 15 and 18 play 'the big man' and have to be kept apart. Housing 84 boys inside a run-down, poorly-insulated building that suffers from frequent leaks, the facility saw a spree of violent incidents in the year to March. Figures suggest six times more violence at the west London site than at HMP Bedford - one of the most violent adult prisons - where a recent inspection found the rate of violence was calculated at 80.6 incidents per 100 prisoners. Over last summer the level of disorder reached such a level that dogs were introduced to Feltham to keep order. One person assaulted 38 members of staff in seven months, according to a separate report published in August 2023. Mr Taylor, who visited in March, said he was 'very concerned' by how the prison had 'deteriorated' since his last inspection, although he praised staff who had 'managed to maintain impressively positive and supportive relationships' with inmates 'despite the violence around them'. A source with knowledge of the jail told MailOnline at the time that Feltham was particularly at risk from violence because it brought together serious young offenders - often with links to gangs - all in one place. In his inspection Mr Taylor found there more than 260 different instructions to prevent children from mixing. Seven inmates had been separated for more than 50 days, while two of them for more than 100. Mr Taylor warned that rather than being placed in lessons with children who had similar abilities and interests, boys were allocated to classes based on with whom they could mix without fighting. In an interview with BBC Radio London, he said many of these orders were to prevent violent gang disputes. 'The danger is, it feeds the sort of grandiosity that some of these kids might have about themselves that 'I'm the big man and I can't mix with anybody',' he said. His inspectors found high levels of violence and rising self-harm when they visited Feltham A in March 2024. Incidents of disorder had 'tripled' since the last inspection, with the latest report detailing the volatile situation the watchdog found behind bars. There had been a 'dramatic increase' in the number of assaults and serious incidents last summer which led to the education block being shut down for several weeks. Reacting to Mr Taylor's report, Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers Association, warned 'a tragedy is on its way' and claimed 'brave staff' had been left with 'zero protection'.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mobile cafe for youth offenders opens its doors
A Swindon charity has opened a mobile cafe where young offenders can become baristas in an attempt to prevent reoffending. SMASH youth project mentors children and young people and has partnered with Swindon Borough Council and the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner's office to set up the scheme. Those involved have been selected for "restorative interventions", which is an alternative to being formally sentenced. The cafe, named Solid Ground, is on the council's Civic Campus and is open to the public every Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 3pm. One of the young people involved in the project said it had made a major difference in their outlook. "Since starting at the van, I have gained confidence in myself and become more confident and tolerant of others, as well as gaining customer service skills," they said. "I feel I have more hope and plans for the future now and I am starting to learn how to budget and plan better with the money I earn. I am grateful for the training opportunities." The opening of the mobile cafe was attended by the leader of Swindon Borough Council Jim Robbins and Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson. Mr Wilkinson pointed to the scheme as an example of what could be achieved by young people from difficult backgrounds. "We are constantly looking for initiatives which give young people the opportunity to move out of the clutches of the organised crime groups which want to drag them down into the world of drugs and criminality," he said. "Through funding the coffee van and working with an organisation like SMASH, we're able to provide them with the confidence and skills to give them the opportunity to find meaningful employment." Lead for innovation and collaboration at SMASH, Rowan Kikke, said it was crucial for schemes like this to give young people an outlet. "We're really keen to work with young people in a way that develops their employability skills and getting them into independence and we didn't have a way of doing that," she said. "About two years ago the youth justice service approached us and said they had this old chip van and asked could we do anything with it that would create a space for young people. "It takes time to garner trust, but they are ready to learn the skills to be a positive presence in the community." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Teens at risk of criminality given gym membership Youth justice service 'a credit to the town' SMASH Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Swindon Borough Council
BBC News
09-05-2025
- BBC News
Mobile cafe for youth offenders opens in Swindon
A Swindon charity has opened a mobile cafe where young offenders can become baristas in an attempt to prevent youth project mentors children and young people and has partnered with Swindon Borough Council and the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner's office to set up the involved have been selected for "restorative interventions", which is an alternative to being formally cafe, named Solid Ground, is on the council's Civic Campus and is open to the public every Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 3pm. 'Gained confidence' One of the young people involved in the project said it had made a major difference in their outlook."Since starting at the van, I have gained confidence in myself and become more confident and tolerant of others, as well as gaining customer service skills," they said."I feel I have more hope and plans for the future now and I am starting to learn how to budget and plan better with the money I earn. I am grateful for the training opportunities."The opening of the mobile cafe was attended by the leader of Swindon Borough Council Jim Robbins and Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson pointed to the scheme as an example of what could be achieved by young people from difficult backgrounds."We are constantly looking for initiatives which give young people the opportunity to move out of the clutches of the organised crime groups which want to drag them down into the world of drugs and criminality," he said."Through funding the coffee van and working with an organisation like SMASH, we're able to provide them with the confidence and skills to give them the opportunity to find meaningful employment." Lead for innovation and collaboration at SMASH, Rowan Kikke, said it was crucial for schemes like this to give young people an outlet."We're really keen to work with young people in a way that develops their employability skills and getting them into independence and we didn't have a way of doing that," she said."About two years ago the youth justice service approached us and said they had this old chip van and asked could we do anything with it that would create a space for young people."It takes time to garner trust, but they are ready to learn the skills to be a positive presence in the community."
