Crime Bullies

Creating better crims.

Did you know the biggest crime statistic in our electorate is domestic violence? Not youth crime. That’s way down the list yet it’s getting kicked about to hype up the community and elicit fear. The party players show how much they don’t know about crime stats and the real issues if they drivel on about at-risk young people who’ve come from poverty and domestic violence situations.

Nonexistent youth and family services, strained resources, cost of living crisis, housing crisis, extreme poverty, lost education facilities (TAFE/Alternate Ed/overfilled high school), and limited job prospects have all resulted in increased youth crime sure. But a detention centre for children as young as 12 is a travesty that is costing the taxpayer a billion dollars. It’ll be a school for creating better criminals, accelerating them to criminal excellence with significant mental and emotional health issues.

Peers will work together to share their knowledge on best criminal practices. Then come back into our community to do it better. Is that what we want? Or do we want families to be supported in raising children who are productive members of our community? Increase family support services. Support kids getting a feed at school every morning so they at least get a meal every day. Support mentor programs for young people. Support education for youth that fit their learning needs and capabilities.

Give youth some hope for a future. That’s what they’re lacking. And a heartless, cruel approach is not the answer. Most of us know what happens in those disgusting youth detention centres. They produce even more traumatised, damaged individuals that will only burden society.

And if you’re a family with a child who might make a one-off mistake, would you want to risk them ending up in a youth detention centre? It will happen. Privilege won’t save them under these “harsh new laws.”