We all want safer communities. But government responses to youth crime in regional and rural communities must be based on evidence, with community-led solutions.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre made a submission to the NSW Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety inquiry into community safety in regional and rural communities in New South Wales.
Our 11 practical recommendations can improve community safety and respect the rights of young people engaging with the criminal legal system.
We explained how community safety in regional and rural communities would be significantly improved by the NSW Government:
- adopting a whole of government approach to diversion, led by community, that addresses the causes of crime;
- investing in foundational services, such as housing, to address primary drivers of youth crime;
- raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14; and
- implementing a health-based alternative to police for emergency responses to people experiencing mental distress in the community.
We highlighted the failure of top-down and police-led responses. Addressing underlying systemic causes of offending by shifting focus to the wider community, rather than focusing only on the individuals affected, is proven to be much more effective.
We highlighted the well-established link between experiences of family and domestic violence and increased risk of youth offending, calling for increased investment in the support services and housing urgently needed to allow people to escape unsafe situations.
And we argued for improved responses to mental health incidents and better mental health support services for young people in regions and rural communities.
