The Territory LaborGovernment today released its Back on Track: Cutting Youth Crime Plan.
The plan gives police and courts the power to get kidsoff the street and into programs like boot camps, which have a proven trackrecord of preventing further crime.
A rollout of programs Territory wide will begin in the next eight weeks,providing the most extensive suite of measures ever put in place toaddress the issue of repeat young offenders.
The$8.35 million program will also include expanded court-ordered victimconferencing and additional victimsupport programs across the Northern Territory.
Back on Track: Cutting Youth Crime will be delivered through:
FIRST STEP
This is a collaboration betweenthe Murin Association Inc and Rusca Developments.
The FIRST STEP program supportsand mentors young people to develop employment skills through a range ofvocational education and training qualifications.
OPERATION FLINDERSWILDERNESS CAMPS
Building on thesuccess of previous youth wilderness camps, additional camps (for up to 10young people per camp) will be delivered for young people in the Groote Eylandt, Big Rivers, Darwinand Palmerston regions in 2019/20.
MACDONNELL REGIONAL COUNCIL
Will deliver The RightTrack program to support young people aged 10-18 years who are at-risk ofentering or have come in contact with the youth justice system. The programwill provide intensive specialist case management and off-site intensiveactivities that engage young people, family members, and elders. The program willinclude four wilderness camps (for up to 10 young people) per year. Camplocations will be in the MacDonnell Regional Council region.
CREATING A SAFE SUPPORTIVEENVIRONMENT (CASSE) CENTRAL REGION
Will deliver a six monthintensive targeted program for high risk young people. The program provides analternative sentencing option and works to reduce reoffending, strengthenconnections to culture and country and increase engagement with family and community.As part of the program, 10 on-country, culture camps will be delivered for 30young people each year in partnership with the Mens Tjilirra Movement. This inaddition to providing early intervention camps.
FIRST STEP PROGRAM ALICE SPRINGS
Murin and the Rusca Brothers will expand the First Step program toinclude a pilot Vocational Education and Training program in Alice Springs. Theprogram uses Aboriginal mentors and leaders to teach young people about theconstruction industry, provide them with a trade qualification and prepare themfor entry into the workforce. As part of the program, young people buildaccommodation facilities for remote communities.
ANGLICARE NT
The ANGLICARE program willsupport young people to undertake youth justice conferencing and completeagreed actions to give back to the community. They will partner with Aboriginalorganisations and elders to strengthen community connections and provide lifeskills to help kids stay on track.
AUSTRALIAN CHILDHOODFOUNDATION
This program will help identifythe critical areas of need and risk that sit within and around children, youngpeople and their families. This will allow for monitoring and reporting of theyoung person at risk.
JESUIT SOCIAL SERVICES
The Back on Track program willfocus on reparation to victims of crime or those hurt by the young personsactions. It will provide young people with the opportunity to repair the harmthey may have caused by giving back to the community and assisting them toidentify what support and services are needed to help them achieve their goals.
CENTRAL AUSTRALIANABORIGINAL CONGRESS ABORIGINAL CORPORATION
The Back on Track service modelwill provide a suite of assessments and support young people to prepare for andattend youth justice conferencing and give back to the community. This willoccur through undertaking community work and providing reparation to victimsand the community. Congress will provide case management of young peoplethrough intensive programs that provide life skills, increase culturalconnection and have strong links with community sporting clubs. They will workwith families to increase their capacity to support the young person.
SALTBUSH SOCIAL ENTERPRISESLIMITED
Will support young peopleparticipate in youth justice conferencing and undertake community service.
Saltbush will focus on teachingemployment skills and support young people to complete a range of training andemployment programs.
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Will provide an intensive family support and cultural program to enableyoung people to get back on track.
As stated by ChiefMinister, Michael Gunner.
Youth who do thewrong thing must face the consequences because all Territorians have the rightto be safe.
The Governmentsnew Back on Track program tackles youth crime by giving police and courts theability to get kids off the street and into programs like boot camps to gettheir lives back on track.
As stated by Minister for Territory Families, DaleWakefield
Back on Trackdelivers programs which have proven to stop offenders committing more crime. Itincludes increased youth justice conferencing where courts order offenders tosit before victims and face up to the impacts of their actions.
Youth who pose aserious safety risk for Territorians will still face detention. But Back onTrack gives us another set of tools to cut youth crime now and for the longerterm.
