IMAGINE it was your own child. You’re waiting for them to come home, but they don’t. That is the reality for many parents.
Instead of fixing the youth crime increase from the source, the government has sent another useless law through parliament that is doing more damage than good.
I have no doubt that the cost of living is a factor.
Financial stress has caused multiple surges in retail and petrol theft over the years. Additionally, we pay $233 million a year to fund the youth detention system, which only worsens trauma.
Instead of wasting tax money, the government should fund rehabilitation and mental health services, support proven to work.
Many believe the Tough on Crime laws make society safe by scaring children.
Although this could be the case for serious offenders, others who make simple mistakes are often forced or pressured into them.
Home life and peers are commonly the cause. So yes, there are children who have a broken moral compass; however, the majority lack the guidance others have on crime and in life.
Treating children as adults in the justice system is unfair. Before implementing these laws, the government spoke to 53 young people from each state, but they were largely disregarded.
Minors have a human right to be heard in matters that affect them, but moving forward with a law(s) that the youth argued against highlights the gap between theoretical rights and the reality of the law.
How can we justify punishing a child’s mistake harsher than a government’s failure?
I’m irked by the short-sightedness of the Tough on Crime laws. Children are told to have a voice, until they disagree with an adult’s plan.
Rachel Bruton
Irymple Secondary College
