By Tina Nguyen
The current cost of living crisis is hitting workers hard but it also impacts the children under their care.
This has been evidenced at the recent 40th Victorian Youth Parliament where two separate teams focussed their bills on youth justice
These remarkable young people argued that, contrary to popular beliefs, youth crime is not a standalone issue and therefore must be solved using a multi-faceted approach.
Despite the recent six percent dip in youth crime (according to the Crime Statistics Agency), one Youth Parliamentarian believes that rising prices are a catalyst for youth offenders, stating that theft and financial crimes are really common among young people.
It is not sufficient or remotely appropriate for the State government to attempt to solve this crisis by mandating heavier punishments through policies such as “adult crime, adult time”. Instead, there should be efforts and investments into rehabilitation, recidivism prevention, and proactive youth crime reduction through improving wider social determinants of health.
Detention removes young people from broader society for an extended period of time, which has social ramifications. Along with the stigma faced by youths who have spent time in the juvenile detention system, many young people find reintegration challenging due to differing social norms and a lack of support system.
Such deficits in rehabilitation efforts expose these youths to both financial struggles and mental health issues. Within a system set up to punish instead of educate, young people often find themselves reoffending, spiking the recidivism rates.
The young parliamentarians from The Grange P-12 College in Hoppers Crossing have recognised this issue and after consultation with experts, recommended state-sanctioned personalised mentoring for young people leaving youth detention centres.
Besides providing emotional support, these mentors are also the liaison between young people and structured resources that will support their reintegration journey. Resources include, but are not limited to, financial and culinary curriculums, access to higher education, and plans that support future employment. These processes aim to provide young offenders with a clear plan of reintegration and adequate support from mentors.
Coincidentally, the same lack of resources and support is also the catalyst that causes youth crime in the first place. As aforementioned, many young people had resolved to theft and other financial crimes in order to afford basic necessities.
Furthermore, a general lack of guidance and role models in lower socio-economic communities perpetuate the crisis for young people who grow increasingly vulnerable to the vicious cycle of youth crime.
It is crucial to recognise that youth crime and recidivism are grass-root issues that require proactive interventions. Simply increasing the punishment for youth crime does not remove the intrinsic social barriers that push young people into this cycle in the first place.
This sentiment is shared by the young parliamentarians from Hoppers Crossings Secondary College, who believe that increasing social support for young people through means such as financial aids, access to education about legal rights, and strengthened representation of rehabilitated youths is integral to crime reduction.
Their bill hopes to reduce stigma, encourage youths during reintegration, and discourage other young people from engagement with crime. By focusing on reducing socio-economic barriers and educating the general public, their bill will uproot prejudiced systemic beliefs that are harmful to all members of the public.
Despite their differing approaches for tackling youth crime, both teams arrived at the same consensus: youth crime and recidivism is a multi-faceted systemic issue that is heavily exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
Thus, a wide range of strategies is required to set young people up for success whilst improving community safety. As both teams pass their respective bills in Youth Parliament, they are taking the first steps in dismantling the structural inequalities that perpetuate youth crimes.
