MEMBER for Mildura Jade Benham says her office has been “inundated” with calls from residents and businesses concerned for their safety.
Ms Benham said anti-social and criminal behaviour on streets and in retail centres was “out of control” and has issued a renewed call for Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines to visit Mildura and meet with members of the community.
New data released by the Productivity Commission shows more than 70 per cent of young Victorian offenders released from a youth justice facility are returning to the system within 12 months.
A young person in detention-based supervision in Victoria costs $5900 per day, according to the data – more than double the cost to support a young person in detention in New South Wales.
Ms Benham said the new statistics show that crime is spiralling out of control.
“The crime rate continues to rise, yet my repeated calls for adequate resourcing continue to fall on deaf ears,” Ms Benham said.
“My office continues to be inundated with calls from residents and businesses who are concerned for their safety because anti-social and criminal behaviour on streets and in retail centres is out of control.
“Business owners and shopping centre management have been left no option but to introduce lockdown procedures because violent incidents are now a daily occurrence.
“I am again urging the Minister to act on my meeting request and contact my office to arrange a time to visit Mildura and meet with community.”
Ms Benham said vital crime prevention and justice programs to get young Victorians on the right path were being slashed and the vast majority of young offenders who leave the youth justice system end up reoffending and are back there within 12 months.
“(Premier) Jacinta Allan and her government need to take a leadership position to address youth crime and to ensure we protect community safety,” she said.
Research Analyst at the Institute of Public Affairs research analyst Mia Schlicht said the data shows urgent criminal justice reform was needed to ensure low-risk youth offenders are punished in a manner that does not turn them into lifelong and violent offenders.
“Spending on youth detention has increased for the eighth consecutive year, despite youth crime continuing to spiral out of control,” she said.
“It is clear that youth prisons are not improving community safety and are in fact creating lifelong criminals,” said Ms Schlicht.
“Locking up non-violent youth offenders with dangerous and violent offenders is creating more hardened criminals, and the data shows that youth prisons are not a deterrent for youth crime.”
Research by the Institute of Public Affairs found that offenders are short-sighted in their decision to commit crime, and are more likely to be deterred from offending by an increased likelihood of being caught.
“We need more police on the beat to catch and deter criminals before they offend and before a victim is created,” Ms Schlicht said.
“For those low-risk nonviolent offenders, the best way to break the cycle of criminality is by giving them the skills they need to enter the workforce and become productive, self-sufficient members of society.”
