The problem of juvenile offenders is much more complex then "name and shame" Jarrod
Last week I wrote an open letter to Queensland attorney
general Jarrod Bleijie about his proposed “name and shame” laws for juveniles
in the Backwards, oops, Sunshine State. I posted that letter on this blog, tweeted
the minister (@JarrodBleijieMP)
and sent him an email with my full contact details so that he could get back to
me. Unsurprisingly he hasn’t responded and probably with good reason: he has
been roundly criticised for this ridiculous law. There was even an insightful
and detailed article by educator Dan Haesler (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-27/haesler-name-and-shame-juveniles/4984188)
pointing out not only the emotional impacts but the lack of a sound economic or
statistical reason for the policy. Yes, he is introducing this law as juvenile
repeat offender rates are decreasing – talk about creating a crisis in order to
appear “tough”.
This issue came up again for me this week as I was watching
an ABC2 documentary called Kids Behind Bars. The multi-part documentary looks
at the worst juvenile offenders in detention in Britain. Each episode typically
focuses on 3 children and gives their back stories as well as their journey
through the detention centre. While at first I was shocked at the violence,
language and attitude of these children, the documentary painted a convincing
picture about what these kids really need.
One of the common aspects to all the subjects of the
documentary was the dysfunctional home environment that they faced. While this
was not always the fault of the parents, the carers and teachers at the centre
spoke regularly about the need to set clear boundaries and expectations of
behaviour. As they point out, why would the kids expect to get in trouble for
hitting or swearing at a detention staff member if that sort of behaviour was
condoned at home? Moreover, it was inspiring to see the transformation that the
children underwent as they adapted to the routine of the detention centre and
saw the benefits of regular education.
Another common aspect was the vulnerability that the
juvenile offenders displayed. While it is easy to just see their violence and
crime, the documentary showed that this is often the outer manifestations of
deep seeded insecurities and that it is their way of seeking help. Often the
carers and teachers in the detention centre are the first people to genuinely
show care about the emotional wellbeing of the children and this can form the
basis of their development as members of society.
The final key aspect for me was the role of education. Many
of the staff commented that the detention centre was the first time many of the
children had sustained classroom education. Being locked up they had little
choice but to attend, however, once they started they quickly saw the benefits
from improving their literacy and other skills. The show also demonstrated how
these young criminals often had very low literacy levels and thus simplistic “name
and shame” policies fail to recognise the importance of education to improving
the chances of disadvantaged young people. In episode 2 it was particularly
great to see how one of the very violent female offenders was able to get into
college and used it as a way to escape the drugs and violence of her home in
Wales.
Hopefully Jarrod Bleijie can take time out of his busy schedule
locking up and embarrassing young people and watch an episode of this great
documentary. By doing so he might gain an insight into the social conditions
that lead to crime and not simply label juvenile offenders as never do wells.
As the documentary shows, many juvenile offences are a result of society
failing to properly care for and educate young people. While prison can
sometimes provide the space for these young people to learn these skills and
rehabilitate, it would be much smarter and cost efficient to ensure they get
the help they need in the first place.
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