In an Australian first, a children’s court has introduced a ‘justice facility dog’ to help reduce anxiety for young people in court. But has it helped?
The ACMF music program at Cobham Youth Justice Centre NSW.
Provided by ACMF
Music can provide incarcerated youth with opportunities to build confidence, engage with learning, develop social skills, and and redefine themselves from young offenders to young artists.
A vigil held in Soho Square, London, for trans teenager Brianna Ghey.
Matthew Chattle / Alamy Stock Photo
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission has handed down a damning report into an unlawful policing strategy. It’s the latest example of First Nations children being over-policed.
In New Zealand, you can be considered capable of criminal intent from the age of ten. But this is young by international standards, and many believe reform is overdue.
The Northern Territory’s Don Dale Youth Detention Centre.
Glenn Campbell/AAP
Do we want to punish some of the most vulnerable young people in the community, or do we want to reduce re-offending? The Northern Territory’s proposed youth justice reforms suggest the former.
Knife crime is at record levels across the UK.
SpeedKingz/Shutterstock
Hundreds of Australian children aged ten to 13 are in juvenile detention. Legal and medical experts say we must raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
If a child commits an offence while in the care of the state, questions should be asked about the quality of care and supervision being provided.
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What’s most concerning is children are being charged in out of home care for unnecessary and avoidable offences. We need to do a better job of placing children safe environments.
Children as young as ten may well lack the capacity to understand the wrongfulness of their behaviour.
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In one year, an average 566 children between 10 and 13 were in detention. Almost 70% were Indigenous children.
The UN said it was ‘seriously concerned’ about the rise in mental health problems among children in Australia, including those from refugee and asylum-seeking families.
Erik Anderson/AAP
In a recent report, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child was highly critical of the Australian government for its youth justice failures and the rise of children with mental health issues.
Students take to the streets in Brussels, Belgium.
EPA-EFE/JULIEN WARNAND
Why is the age of criminal responsibility in the UK the lowest in the European Union?
The detail of the government’s reforms remains elusive four months after commissioners Margaret White and Mick Gooda handed down their final report.
AAP
Children as young as ten have been targeted for intensive policing under the NSW Police’s secretive Suspect Targeting Management Plan.
To improve on a building like the Don Dale centre, design that properly considers human behaviour needs to take priority for its replacement.
Neda Vanovac/AAP
Architecture can affect behaviour and the choices we make. The brief is out for a centre to replace the Don Dale facility, but word is, it’s ‘a disgrace’. We can do much better.