‘No child should ever be interrogated by police alone’: Backlash to proposed NT youth laws
The Finocchiaro CLP Government’s introduction of draft laws that would allow police to detain
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If it is so that Police alone detain children for up to 48 hours and in some cases interrogate them without a legal guardian or parent present . . . certainly, everyone loses. Police – Parents – Community. The victim? Will unite with every other victim, or worse, become a loner capable of serious assault. A mistake at such an immature age . . . may become a lifetime imprimatur?
Every one of this government’s so-called tough on crime decisions, appear to be predicated on the assumption that offenders are going to think carefully about whether they should offend or re-offend, based on their supposed knowledge and understanding of the consequences.
Not one jot of recognition goes into the fact that most of the wee kids who are committing crimes have FASD, severe trauma, other learning disabilities, unstable family histories, low literacy and numeracy levels and more.
If your basic needs are not being met and your school attendance is low and your family in a state of dysfunction…sorry, but WHICH ten year olds are we talking about, who actually understand the law? WHICH ten year olds, particularly with these underlying challenges, can link action and consequence? I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and assume none.
The police have said many times that we can’t arrest our way out of the current crisis, yet the government continues to turn a blind eye to evidence-based concepts that might have a hope of delivering long term improvements, while instead adopting brain dead policy that will traumatize young offenders and probably fast track them to being older offenders. The government of ghetto development is what they will be remembered for.
This is the most FANTASTIC proposal yet!
Ever met the young kids breaking into your house? Its a joke to them!
The cops caught these kids that broke in, 10 minute later and released them, despite the police having the power to hold onto them for suspicion of commiting a crime! And the little darlings came back for more!
Beware cops who are the end of their shift!
Good on the CLP for proposing and hopefully implementing this!
We are way past about worrying about FASD or kids from dysfunctional homes. The only way to reduce crime is to incarcerate them! The lower crime stats and the high incarceration rate provide evidence to that statement!
The only other numerical evidence is the Crime rate in Darwin dropping to near ZERo when COVID hot and long grassers and remote people where “assisted” back to their communities.
I know a FASD adult who is in a supportive, non indiginous family, there is not enough money or resources in the world for that one person. There is no restorative clinical help that will stop his Court appointments.