CREATE Foundation’s Post

We all want to be part of a society where people get the support they need and everyone's rights are respected - especially when help's most needed, and especially children. That's why the Senate's new inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system is so important. Australia's child justice systems are ineffective and do untold harm - criminalising children as young as 10, punishing children instead of fixing root causes, and falling far short of child rights and human rights minimum standards. It's a national issue that needs national leadership. The inquiry’s terms of reference rightly point to the need for enforceable national minimum standards for youth justice. It will highlight the critical importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and focusing on children's rights in Australia. A rights-respecting approach to youth justice is our best opportunity for transformative system change, to all of our benefit. We can do so much better. Submissions are open until 10 October - if you have a perspective to share, now’s the time. 54 reasons Save the Children Australia The Australian Child Rights Taskforce #childrights #youthjustice #RaisetheAge #UNCRC

Child safety must be a priority of all Australian governments. We have been concerned to see Australian governments rejecting evidence-based approaches to offending by children, pursuing punitive laws and policies that place children at heightened risk of experiencing harm.   knowmore has made a submission to the inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system, calling on the Australian Government to lead a national response to protect the human rights of children and keep children safe from harm in all places. This must include investing in services that support children to remain safely with their families and communities.   Read our submission to the inquiry into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system here: https://lnkd.in/e4hAEy5A

Today, we are calling on the Victorian Parliament to strengthen the Youth Justice Bill. We stand alongside a coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, human rights, social services, health, youth, religious, and legal advocates in this crucial effort. Together, we urge the Parliament to raise the age of criminal responsibility and enact reforms that prioritise rehabilitation and support for young people. This bill has been in the making for five years, offering a hopeful step towards a more just system with better sentencing, cautions, and diversion programs. However, there's more to be done. Every child deserves the chance to grow up safe, healthy, and free from the harmful effects of the criminal legal system. We urge the Victorian Parliament to: ➡ Raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years old—consistent with Yoorrook Justice Commission's recommendations. ➡ Remove police powers to transport, detain, and use force on children aged 10 and 11. ➡ Scrap the trial of electronic monitoring on children. ➡ Prohibit the detention of children in adult prisons. Dr Mick Creati's evidence to the Yoorrook Justice Commission emphasised that children's brains are still developing, making them less capable of fully understanding the consequences of their actions. "The part of the brain that’s responsible for impulse control and seeing the consequences of your actions is not fully developed until you are about 25-years-old." He argued that, given their neurological immaturity, children should not be held criminally responsible. Instead, policies should focus on rehabilitation and support, recognising that young people need guidance and care, not punishment, to grow into responsible adults.   It's crucial to protect vulnerable children—especially those who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, in residential care, from multicultural backgrounds, regional areas, or facing disabilities and mental health issues. We believe in a justice system that supports rehabilitation over punishment, prioritising community-based programs that help children learn from their mistakes. Together, let's ensure a brighter future for all Victorian children. Preventing criminal legal system contact and fostering meaningful reintegration is beneficial for our young people and our communities. Let's ensure all Australian children and young people get the chance to thrive. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g-kNeWQq #RaiseTheAge #Health #Science Jacinta Allan Anthony Carbines MP Enver Erdogan MP Natalie Suleyman MP Natalie Hutchins MP Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service WEstjustice Human Rights Law Centre Youthlaw | Young People's Legal Rights Inc Jesuit Social Services Youth Support + Advocacy Service Brotherhood of St Laurence Youth Affairs Council Victoria

The Northern Territory Government’s plans this week to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old flies in the face of evidence overwhelmingly showing criminalisation and incarceration do much more harm than good. The NT’s move is part of broader political backpedalling across the country on youth justice; moves that are disproportionately impacting marginalised kids and negatively impacting the work to prevent and stop family violence.   The current Federal Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System could play a key part in reversing this back peddling if it advocates for raising the minimum age of criminal and civil responsibility in all Australian states and territories to at least 16; and centres the voices of the people and communities most impacted by the youth justice system - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and racially marginalised people, and people with disabilities.  A significant proportion of children and young people in the youth justice system are victims of family violence. Incarceration prevents the trauma-informed, therapeutic work needed in these kids’ lives to prevent and stop family violence.  The current system is failing children and young people – it’s time for urgent change.  You can read NTV’s submission to the Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System here: https://lnkd.in/g4-nEwEX Our submission is informed by consultations with NTV members and our community legal sector colleagues. We would like to highlight the submissions made to this inquiry by organisations including Change the Record, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Victoria Legal Aid and Djirra- Sharing stories, finding solutions. Their insights are crucial to improve responses to children and young people.  #YouthJustice #FamilyViolence #NoToViolence #ChangeTheRecord #RaiseTheAge #SystemicAccountability #CloseTheGap #YoorrookForJustice

A striking sadness that concerns about overcrowding are given more prominence in reporting than #childrights 😔 - right across Australia, right now, numbers of children placed in institutional forms of care is rising, not just in youth justice but also in 'care and protection' settings. More beds, more children, less individual care. #why #abedisnotanoutcome #childrenmatter The government concedes the laws are contrary to international and state human rights law, are discriminatory against young people and will “have a greater impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children”. Many raised concern that the state’s overcrowded youth justice system – which already detains more children than any other state – would be overwhelmed ... the government will ... review the effectiveness of the laws and potentially expand them.

As a Credible Messenger, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of guidance and support in the lives of incarcerated youth. 1. The Power of Words: Behind the bars of a juvenile justice center, every word carries weight. By speaking life and encouragement into these youths, we can ignite a spark of hope that fuels their journey towards rehabilitation and success. 2. Navigating the Path2Redemption: As a Credible Messenger, my role is akin to a GPS navigator, guiding these young individuals towards a path of positive change. Through mentorship, counseling, and skill-building programs, we equip them with the tools they need to navigate life beyond incarceration. 3. Breaking the Cycle: For many incarcerated youth, the cycle of incarceration seems inevitable. However, by offering support and alternative pathways, we can disrupt this cycle and empower them to envision a future free from the confines of prison walls. Together, we can be the catalysts for change, guiding these young individuals towards a brighter future filled with promise and opportunity. Join me in advocating for the empowerment of our youth, both behind bars and beyond. Learn more by visiting Path2Redemption.org #EmpoweringYouth #JuvenileJustice #CredibleMessenger

Virtual funder convening on Ending Girls' Incarceration, coming up May 15th: https://lnkd.in/gjkjcAES. 💡 Every year, thousands of girls and gender-expansive youth are arrested, detained, and placed on probation across California. Recently, efforts to keep girls and gender-expansive youth of color in the community and out of custody have gained momentum, and California is poised to lead the country, showing that ending girls’ incarceration is possible. In March, Vera Institute of Justice and Young Women's Freedom Center released a first of its kind report on the scope of girls’ incarceration in California, including a roadmap for county and statewide changes to end it in the state (https://lnkd.in/gsQYzVXh). The report offers policymakers, funders, advocates, and communities the data and evidence they need to understand the breadth of girls’ incarceration and take steps to fully eliminate it. Join this Philanthropy California webinar to learn more about successful efforts to end girls’ incarceration currently under way as well as Vera and YWFC’s campaign to bring this work statewide. https://lnkd.in/gjkjcAES #PhilanthropyCA #funderbriefing #endgirlsincarceration Northern California Grantmakers SoCal Grantmakers

As we mark International Children's Rights Day 2024, I reflect on a critical truth I've witnessed throughout my career: children deprived of liberty remain among the most vulnerable and forgotten members of our society and we impose a systemic and structural violence upon them. During the collective work on the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, we identified 7 million children worldwide who are detained in various contexts per year - from migration facilities to institutions, from armed conflict situations to criminal justice systems. Each number represents a child whose rights and freedoms have been curtailed, often without proper justification or due process. This continues to take place and has worsened in many areas. The phrase "leaving no one behind" rings hollow when we continue to place children behind bars and continue to create unhealthy societies which focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation. As we noted in our research, published in "Human Rights Behind Bars," detention has profound negative impacts on children's physical, emotional, and cognitive development. AND alternatives exist around the world. Successful diversion programs, community-based care, and restorative justice approaches have shown promising results across different regions and contexts. We need to continue to: -Listen to children's voices and experiences -Invest in prevention rather than detention -Implement child-friendly justice systems -Strengthen child protection mechanisms -Ensure proper data collection and monitoring As the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child emphasizes, every child deserves protection, participation, and the opportunity to develop to their full potential. This isn't just about policy - it's about recognizing EACH child's inherent dignity and worth. Let's use this International Children's Rights Day to move beyond awareness to action. Children behind bars may be invisible to most of us, but they shouldn't be forgotten and we should, more than ever, reform our old ways which dont work. Together, we can work toward a world where detention truly is a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time - if absolutely necessary- and not the first step as we see it very too often. But we should go beyond and end detention for children all in all. #ChildrensRightsDay #ChildRights #HumanRights #ChildJustice #UNGlobalStudy #ChildProtection #UNCRC

Suffolk Youth Justice Service is transforming juvenile intervention with a new assessment tool that prioritizes children's needs. This child-first approach considers social, legal, and psychological factors, aiming to reduce youth offenses and improve rehabilitation. #AmyBruceSuffolkYJS #childfirstapproach #childcentricjusticetools #earlyadopterinsights #juvenilejusticereforms #outofcourtdisposals #preventionanddiversion #youthdiversionstrategies #youthjusticeassessment #YouthJusticeBoard

In Maryland, like in too many places across the country, we've been dealing with an onslaught of sensationalized media coverage that continues to drive harmful, misleading, and often racist public safety narratives. This has been particularly alarming recently surrounding a small number of tragic, high profile cases too easily politicized, and which have lead to new calls for reflexive, overly-punitive and ineffective policy responses like those we faced last legislative session. In light of this, today the University of Baltimore School of Law Center for Criminal Justice Reform joined 118 signatories in a letter to Gov. Wes Moore expressing our strong support for the administration to stay the course in implementing a research-backed, equitable, community-centered approach, and for DJS Secretary Vincent Schiraldi's leadership in that work. Full text and (growing) list of signatories at the link below. And an excerpt here: "We are troubled whenever we learn that a young person is accused of breaking the law—and we are especially concerned about the welfare of anyone who has been harmed by a young person’s actions. It is precisely because of these concerns, not in spite of them, that we adamantly oppose misguided policies designed to be “tough” on kids but which do not align with true accountability, the fair administration of justice, or what we know from the research actually works. Twenty years of research and experience across our diverse disciplines have shown unequivocally that over-reliance on incarceration and punitive approaches, including unnecessary incarceration for young people, increases their risk of reoffending, including for more serious crime going forward. This ineffective and costly approach also erodes systemic legitimacy, and continues to drive the extreme racial disparities in Maryland’s youth justice system, including sending more children to be tried in adult court than any other state in the nation besides Alabama. 81% of these children are Black. Real and lasting safety can be accomplished only by strengthening communities, supporting the conditions for true accountability, addressing trauma in order to change behavior, and providing meaningful support and services to youth and their caregivers... As policy experts, practitioners on the front lines of these challenges, youth-serving organizations, faith leaders, victim service providers, youth advocates, violence reduction specialists, and community leaders, we know how important it is to invest in the changes and long-term investments that are needed to see all our children, families, and communities succeed, and to ensure the equitable approach that Marylanders deserve. We believe in and share your commitment to being data-driven and heart-led, especially in the face of misguided and politicized attacks which undermine this work." It's not too late to sign on. #CareNotCages https://lnkd.in/ew5tHqcy