Late in June, I attended the 19th Reintegration Puzzle conference in Adelaide. This gathering has become the largest annual event for people with the lived expertise of being drawn into the Australian justice system. It is also a gathering of community and public sector practitioners, First Nations leaders, researchers, and advocates. Those who attend focus on sharing expertise and building a collective response to the systemic failures of imprisonment and re-entry.
Many of you would know that I have spent most of my professional life documenting and commenting on law and social justice matters. It is my firm belief that a safe and secure community cannot be guaranteed by the administration of justice, namely police, courts and corrections, important as they are. No, safety and security are best built when we champion equality of opportunity and develop strong social capital and societal investments that build and rebuild people’s lives in constructive ways. Safety and security can, however, be compromised quickly if the spending choices that we make regarding crime prevention (such as simply shoring up the bulwarks of police and prisons) are poorly thought through. There is an opportunity cost too: every ‘crime prevention’ dollar that is misspent on an ill-founded mechanism of ‘corrective’ justice is a dollar that could have been spent on a social program up front that has been shown to be effective.
In its essence, there is a simple aphorism that can be adopted here: if we want to prevent crime, we must focus less on ‘after the fact’ responses to aberrant behaviour and more on shaping our communities in such a way that crime is less likely to emerge, and to intervene (where that is deemed necessary) early in the lives of those who may be destined to become regular clients of the justice system. This includes not only addressing the needs of specific individuals and groups, but also addressing the social, economic and cultural milieu in which all Australians live.
This is especially crucial in tackling the causes of youth disengagement.
Let me be clear. Crime by children is a symptom of unmet needs. Here are the factors that underlie most antisocial behaviour exhibited by young people: homelessness, undiagnosed mental illness, poverty, discrimination, poor education, disability, fear, bullying, familial breakdown, trauma and lack of safety in the places where one sleeps at night.
And here is the important factor for Community of Christ members. We have a number of themes that underpin our unique religious practice. It should be of no surprise that most of the Enduring Principles address the needs of those who fall afoul of society’s expectations. Amongst other things, we are called to champion the worth of all persons; to encourage responsible choices; to promote peaceful resolutions of conflict; to celebrate diversity; to employ grace, and, finally, to honour the blessings of community.
Every session at the Reintegration Puzzle conference remarked on the importance of society empowering young people and encouraging them to flourish. All young people, too, should know their identity. All young people should be encouraged to build positive relationships and make wise choices. Likewise, our leaders and policymakers should promote care and compassion.
Is this a pipe dream? Let me compare two jurisdictions. On an average night in Australia (population 28 million), over 800 young Australians aged 10 and over are in detention because of their involvement, or alleged involvement, in criminal activity. Of those young people in detention, most are males aged between 14 and 17, and most are First Nations young people. 97% go into custody on allegations, not sentences.
Scotland has a population of almost 6 million. Thanks to the social policies akin to those I outline above, not one person under the age of 18 is in custody in that country. There is no outcry in that country that youth crime is rife.
We can change the narrative in this country too. We simply need the political will, underpinned by the enduring principles that we so proudly espouse.
Rick Sarre