Greens MP for Maiwar Michael Berkman has called on Labor to rethink its punitive youth justice reforms, and focus on keeping kids out of the cycle of criminalisation instead.
Michael Berkman:
“To prevent further tragedy, we need to keep kids out of the cycle of criminalisation - nothing about GPS trackers or cramming more kids into prisons and watchhouses will do that.
“The Government seems to be taking its cues from conservative commentators and the LNP, when they should be listening to the experts in recidivism support services about what really works.
“Kids who are criminalised and locked up at a young age only learn to become ‘better criminals’. We need to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, and increase funding for evidence based, culturally-appropriate community support services.”