Sophie Stewart: Focus needs to shift to catching kids before they fall through the cracks into custody

Earlier this year I sat on a battered couch in a regional community, drinking Nescafe from a mismatched mug, hearing the story of a 10-year-old boy who had been sleeping for months on a mattress in the backyard of a dilapidated home, so overcrowded there was upwards of 20 people living there at times. Amazingly, this boy was still trying to turn up to school every day. A local Aboriginal organisation bent over backwards to get him into a boarding house, that he was technically too young for according to policy. News out of Kununurra last week echoes this story. WA kids falling through the cracks as buck passing happens across government for who exactly is responsible for the community’s most vulnerable children and young people. Whether they end up on the streets at night or in prisons, the point is our disconnected, crisis-only response approach is letting them down. Significant advocacy, an ongoing coronial inquest, and changes in leadership have seen the horrific crisis inside Banksia Hill abate some (though Unit 18 remains open) but the material conditions in our communities that see children end up there in the first place have not changed. Making communities safer happens along a continuum. Long before incarceration or police intervention, we can stop people from ever going down the path of offending. If as a community we see young people struggling: disengaged from school, work, and recreation; maybe experiencing poverty, housing distress, family conflict or neurodisability. If we provide wraparound help to them and their families at that point, rather than leaving them to face significant challenges alone, together we can help them find a pathway out and stop the root causes of crime. It was heartening last week to see agreement from most leaders including Premier Roger Cook, Minister Reece Whitby, the Police and Children’s commissioners, judges, and Kununurra leaders that earlier intervention is key. That feeding, housing, engaging, and keeping kids safe in the community are vastly better options than prison. Social Reinvestment WA commissioned research from Painted Dog which found that the WA community is ready for change. Almost everyone believes our youth justice system is broken — just 17 per cent think the current system is effective at reducing re-offending. More than half of West Australians believe the minimum age of criminal responsibility should be 13 at a bare minimum. And across the geographical and political spectrum, the overwhelming majority of West Australians (85 per cent) believe the No. 1 purpose of the youth justice system should be rehabilitation. Two years ago on a grey Norwegian afternoon, I sat on a different couch on the second floor of a building off a cobbled sidewalk in Oslo. As part of a fellowship for innovation in criminal justice reform, I was interviewing the head of a very successful reintegration not-for-profit, who himself had once been incarcerated. He lamented that adults leaving prison in Norway were sent only to lonely, sterile apartments upon release, and that “this is not the same as a home”. While I supported the sentiment, I’ll admit I found it hard not to be envious of such a predicament. In WA, despite living in one of the world’s richest economies, a social housing apartment is but a pipe dream for many, let alone for those caught up in our justice system. There is hope however. Effective initiatives such as Fitzroy’s Safe Night Space led by Marra Worra Worra was rightly praised last week. Likewise, Emama Nguda’s justice reinvestment work in Derby, ALSWA’s youth engagement program, and Arclight in Kwinana are all examples which are making a tangible difference right now. The Australian Human Rights Commission launched a report just last Thursday exploring the models already proven to work around the world. Spain’s Diagrama model and facilities focused on rehabilitation and integration; Scotland’s whole-of-government co-ordination approach and safer “Needs not Deeds” based facilities, and closer to home Queensland’s Pathways to Prevention program which engages families through schools all have demonstrated a reduction in re-offending. WA is crying out for genuine reform in this space. And the community is ready. When Mr Cook became Premier, he made a start by announcing a nine-point plan to address the crisis in youth detention. It’s time to look beyond prisons for children. Our State’s next focus needs to be a long-term, connected strategy for youth justice that doesn’t allow children to fall through the cracks in government siloes. A plan that helps young people in the community, long before custody. We need to expand support for place-based justice reinvestment co-ordination, so community leaders can address the gaps locally. And a commitment to genuinely invest upstream in support for both kids and their families that meet social, emotional, cultural and economic needs, rather than only reacting to deeds. There is a legacy to be left of safer communities, and better futures for our communities most disadvantaged young people — if our leaders are willing to step up to the plate. Sophie Stewart is the CEO of Social Reinvestment WA