2.2 Children and Young People - The Juvenile Justice System Flashcards
what is the juvenile justice system?
the way in which the law responds to the behaviour & criminal activity of young people.
what is the welfare model?
an informal legal response with a focus on rehabilitation rather than retribution, that considers reasons and causes of crime, recognises the impact of psychological factors, focuses on care & protection of children & young people
what is the justice model?
a punishment/retribution focus for criminal actions of young people, that promotes zero tolerance to crime, introduced youth justice conferencing, and is often supported by the media
what is the restorative model?
aims to bring about reconciliation, not to exact/enact punishment, encouraging offenders to accept responsibility for their behaviour & its consequences, and is often integral in diverting youth offenders from formal court systems
what are the key features of the restorative model?
the involvement of victims in dealing with offence
what case study relates to the juvenile justice system (case citations [x2 dates])
R v SLD (2002/2003)
2003 = appeal
what occurred that resulted in the R v SLD (2002/2003) case?
13 yr old boy abducted and killed a 3 yr old girl, stabbing her because he was told to “keep off their (the parents of the victim) grass”, and her brothers were boasting about their computer games → he originally intended to use her as ransom
what was SLD (2002/2003) sentenced with?
imprisonment of 20 years, non-parole period of 10 years
what was the reason for the appeal for the SLD (2003) case?
request made that the sentence was excessive & the judge was mistaken in assessing the risk that the offender would pose to the community → dismissed
what were the mittigating circumstances in the R v SLD (2002/2003) case?
age, mental capacity, family upbringing (foster care, ect.), chromosomal abnormality (intellectually impaired)
what were the aggrivating circumstances in the R v SLD (2002/2003) case?
nature of the crime, intent to kill again, original movie (ransom), criminal history
what is the update from 2023/2024 in the R v SLD (2002/2003) case?
SLD was diagnosed with a severe personality disorder with anti-social and psychopathic features, further driven by his attitude of self-importance and entitlement. SLD taken out of prison & put under ESO (extended supervision order), despite high chance of him re-offending.
when and why was SLD arrested again in 2023?
arrested in October for approaching 3 women with their young daughters
what is an ESO?
an Extended Supervision Order, only applied to certain high-risk sex and violence offenders, that allows them to be closely supervised in the community
what act established youth justice conferencing across NSW?
Young Offenders Act 1997, Part 5
following the introduction of court referrals on 1 July 2016, what % increase in referrals to restorative justice conferencing occurred?
151% - 839 (police referrals) in 2015-16, to 2100 referrals in 2016-17 (police & court)
what % of victims reported that the conference process helped them to ‘manage the effects of the crime’?
70%
what are the key objectives of youth justice conferencing?
focus on repairing harm caused by offending behaviour; restoring relationships within family & community; reducing incarceration rates
what is step 1 of youth justice conferencing?
introduction and relationship to offence
what is step 2 of youth justice conferencing?
offender tells story of events, conveyor asks questions to ensure full story
what is step 3 of youth justice conferencing?
victim tells offender impact/effect of offence
what is step 4 of youth justice conferencing?
invites others to tell thoughts
what is step 5 of youth justice conferencing?
victim asked what the offender could do to repair harm
what is step 6 of youth justice conferencing?
offender given time to decide of appropriate proposal for outcome plan
what is step 7 of youth justice conferencing?
victim responds to proposal, talks about what should happen and how.
what is step 8 of youth justice conferencing?
final agreement written into plan
what is step 9 of youth justice conferencing?
nominated participants to monitor and provide support for the offender
what is step 10 of youth justice conferencing?
finish with signing of the outcome plan
what case study relates to the youth justice conference (media article), and what did he do?
“Racist attack on bus: offender’s Youth Justice Conference”, SMH, 2014 → a teen was involved in anti-semitic attack on Jewish school bus full of students aged 5-12
what was the outcome of the youth justice conference
“Racist attack on bus: offender’s Youth Justice Conference”, SMH, 2014
rather than facing imprisonment, the offender is being educated on the Jewish and their past → visiting Sydney Jewish Museum, as well as enrolling in a school harmony project run by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.
what is the most common offence committed by those 11-17 years?
25% of young offenders proceeded against for acts intended to cause injury (11,860 offenders) → common assault
what is the most common offence committed by those aged 10 years?
unlawful entry with intent (30% - 127 offenders)
what is the difference in the youth offender rate for illicit drugs from 2014-15 to 2021-22? has it increased or decreased? by how much?
the youth offender rate for illicit drugs was 265.7 per 100,000 in 2014-15, which decreased by 127.9 in 2021-22, with a rate of 137.8 per 100,000 persons aged 10-17 years
what rights do you have if you have been arrested?
the right to remain silent; the right to a support officer; the right to legal representation
when can the police arrest a young person, and what must the young person do once placed under arrest?
if the police have reasonable suspicion a young person has committed a crime, they may arrest them → if placed under arrest, cooperate with the police to avoid possibility of further charges
what are warnings? can they have strings attached? what are they given for?
warnings serve as a cautionary example. these cannot have conditions or sanctions attached/imposed. warnings are not given for violent offences and are destroyed upon turning 21
what are cautions, and when can they be issued?
a FORMAL way of dealing with an offender without the use of the court system if the police believe it to be appropriate, and if the young offender agrees to the terms (usually an interview regarding the offence).
can cautions have conditions attached?
yes, cautions can have conditions attached to them. however, once a caution is given, no further action can be taken against them
what types of searches can police conduct?
frisk search, strip search, internal search
what does The Law Enforcement (Powers & Responsibilities) Act 2002 (LEPRA) give the police the power to do?
gives police the power to conduct searches before or after making an arrest
under what section of LEPRA do police have the right to strip-search individuals?
Section 33 of LEPRA
what does Section 33 of LEPRA give the police the right to do?
police have the right to strip search individuals as young as 10 at a police station, a place of detention, or in the field, as long as there is a parent, guardian, or representative present, when it’s suspected to be “necessary for the purposes of the search and that the seriousness and urgency of the circumstances”.
does Section 33 of LEPRA uphold the rights of children & young people, and why?
this does not uphold the rights, needs, and privacy of the young person and can have significant psychological consequences and impact on the young person due to the vulnerability of the individual
when can strip searches be conducted?
only if it is believed on reasonable grounds to be necessary