Youthlaw and a number of other youth advocates from community legal centres, youth services and peak bodies have formed a broad coalition called Smart Justice for Young People to address the legal and justice issues of young people aged between 12 and 25. The major focus of Smart Justice for Young People is on improving the relationship between police and young people to overcome the tensions and misunderstandings that often plague interactions between these two groups.
The members of Smart Justice for Young People are experienced practitioners in the fields of criminal justice, youth services and the law, giving us on-the-ground knowledge of the issues and concerns of young people. Evidence tells us that smart approaches to justice issues, particularly in the formative years of a person's life, are far more effective in creating safer, happier communities now and in the future.
To find out more about Smart Justice for Young People, download fact sheets, or keep up to date with youth justice news, visit our
In Beyond Appearances, young people share their experiences of life on the streets and their interactions with police. Both homeless young people and police officers say these interactions are sometimes difficult and fraught with misunderstanding. What is the source of these barriers and how can these interactions be improved?
‘A homeless person, when they first see the uniform, the first thing they see is every experience they’ve ever had with a policeman prior’ – Peter, Victoria Police.
‘I start nice and all but as soon as they start being rude to me, I’m not going to take it… Exactly like my dad, just power and they love the power and they, what’s the word? They take advantage.’ – Brad, 16 years.
The film will be a useful resource for police, Centrelink and other youth and social welfare workers interested in a deeper understanding of young homeless people’s circumstances and the issues that arise for them in dealing with police and other authorities.
‘It’s actually made my police work more satisfying as a member of the community…’ – Peter, Victoria Police
Beyond Appearances is a collaboration between Youthlaw, Frontyard Youth Services and Victoria Police and was funded by the City of Melbourne.
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The State Government has deferred any decision to bring in new laws that will require judges to sentence 16 and 17 year olds to a minimum of 2 years in detention for 'gross violence' offences causing serious injury. The Attorney General has flagged a period of further consultation with key stakeholders.
However for young people aged 18 and over they are flagging a 4 year minimum jail term.
Youthlaw remains totally opposed to the introduction of mandatory sentencing minimums. This removes the ability of judges to look at the individual circumstances and background of the person offending. Jailing young people at this age will not address the reasons for their offending and will only increase likelihood of re-offending.
You can see our submission to the Sentencing Advisory Council, who are investigating the proposed laws, below.
youthlaw_submission_stat_min__final_.pdf (177kb).
Protective Services Officers (PSOs), with firearms and arrest powers, will be coming to a train station near you if the Government has its way. PSOs are a new type of rail guard with the same arrest powers and weapons as police officers, however they will be receiving less than half the training that police do.
Based on this, Youthlaw believes that conflict between PSOs and young people will be inevitable, as they will not be properly trained in how to deal with large groups or people with special needs. Young people are heavy users of public transport and so we are calling on the Government to increase the training for PSOs and to include guidelines for better dealing with young people.
The PSO laws are being debated in Parliament right now. If you use public transport and are worried about the lack of training for these new rail guards, write a letter to your local member of Parliament about it. Watch this space for updates.
What do I do when...? is a resource for anyone who works with young people aged 12-25. It details areas of the law that youth workers may come across in their work with young people and provides answers to common legal questions.
Download What do I do when...? [435kb PDF]
