Govt marches ahead with boot camps for young offenders

The government is reasserting its true-blue, tough on crime mantra with new sentencing and military-style academies for youth offenders.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Chrsitopher Luxon announced a new Youth Serious Offender category, with stricter outcomes including military-style academies or greater use of electronic and judicial monitoring. Police will also have greater powers to arrest young people for breaching bail conditions.

Minister for Children Karen Chhour says these are only for the most extreme cases, and something needed to change.

“Youth justice has become a holding pen for our young people till they end up in adult jail, and we can't keep doing that.

“These young people deserve better, they deserve the support to help to try and turn their lives around, but actually victims deserve better too, because we need to make sure that they're not out there creating more victims.”

The conditions would apply to youth aged 14-17 who were charged with two offences punishable by more than ten years of jail time, and deemed likely to reoffend.

“These are serious, repeat youth offenders and they have been in and out of trouble over and over again, and what they’re doing in our communities is causing chaos and harm everywhere they go.”

Consequences and rehabilitation

A pilot programme will go ahead next month in Palmerston North with ten people in the first intake, but Chhour says it will be different to historic attempts by the National government.

“Where it was lacking was the wraparound support within the community, the transition process from the academy back into the community, that wasn’t done well.”

Speaking to William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Chhour says they will look at what’s working overseas, and extend the support after the course is finished.

“This will be run similar to the LSV (Limited Service Volunteer course), the difference is that we will be focusing our resources into that transition, making sure we're not just sending these young people back to the environment they came from, giving them a voice as to what they would like their future to look like, and giving them a little bit of hope.

“Because when you stand in front of young people in a youth justice facility, and every single one of them tells you that they're there because everybody has given up on them, that's heartbreaking.”

Chhour says the programme will strike a balance between consequences and rehabilitation.

“We also have therapeutic and cultural components to it as well, so it's not a one size fits all program.

“Part of the process is actually involving family in this program from the very beginning, actually allowing them to come in and do this program with the young person.

“It will involve iwi, if the young person is Māori and that's what they would like, and us helping them with getting ready to be work ready, helping them to look for jobs once they go back out into the community.”

Speculation from opposition and youth workers

The announcement has been slammed by youth advocates and the opposition.

Kick Back co-founder Aaron Hendry said the government is further “punishing traumatised children”, where many have a history of being in state care, or involved with child welfare services.

“The choice to double down on punishment-based reactionary policy over evidence-based solutions, is a choice to allow the cycle to continue.

“We have abandoned our responsibility to these kids, instead of providing the resources they and their whānau need in order to thrive, we have chosen to invest in punishment, choosing to brandish a stick over kids who have known nothing but stick.”

While Green party spokesperson for justice Tamatha Paul said it is “weak on evidence” and fails to address the drivers of crime.

“If we want young people to turn their lives around, we should not be adding to the pain and punishment they’ve experienced their entire lives. Labelling children as young as 14 as serious offenders will only aggravate the vulnerable situations many of our youth find themselves in.”

Watch the full interview with Minister for Children Karen Chhour on Pacific Mornings: