Media coverage - The Drum: Kids in limbo, Australia's growing reliance on juvenile remand

Throughout Australian jurisdictions detention is considered an option of last resort in combating juvenile offending, with custodial sentences imposed only when other diversionary measures have failed, writes Daniel Feher.

“Despite this principle, the number of youths remanded in detention has nearly tripled since 1981, with 60 per cent of young people in Australian detention centres held without sentencing. This figure points to a need for better youth justice programs to keep kids out of lockup, and underlines the greater problem of how to combat chronic juvenile offending by at-risk youths…

“With research condemning juvenile incarceration, and the costs involved becoming increasingly difficult to justify, it is not surprising that findings from government and community welfare organisations are calling for a shift towards intensive support programs instead. The South Australian Social Inclusion Unit's To Break The Cycle report and Mission Australia's publication Juvenile Justice Snapshot are just two of many recent calls for action.

“They recommend empowering at-risk youths with a sense of control over their lives and minimising the time they spend in custody, with the findings stimulating a range of community, government and non-government initiatives across Australia in dealing with the issue, many of which are reporting high success rates.

Read more at The Drum