source : the age
Serious youth offenders could be fitted with ankle bracelets and placed in Melbourne schools within a fortnight, after the courts were given the green light to implement the Victorian government’s latest tactic to crack down on crime.
Children as young as 14 could be chosen for the two-year trial that will see youth at risk of not complying with bail conditions fitted with ankle bracelets and placed in one of about 60 alternative education settings.
The ankle bracelets would be fitted to 50 underage offenders as part of the trial.
The Children’s and Supreme courts will have the power to recommend ankle bracelets to serious offenders under 18 from today, with eligibility assessments expected to take about 10 days.
“We’re doing this because we are prioritising community safety,” Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny said on Tuesday. “We’re doing this because we know how important it is for young offenders, in particular, to comply with their bail conditions.”
Up to 50 young people charged with serious crimes could be considered for the trial, which will consider factors that could impact their ability to comply – such as an intellectual disability or their home environment.
A team working around the clock from Ravenhall Correction Centre would receive an alert in real time should the offender attempt to remove the monitoring device. They would also be alerted if the offender breached curfew or entered a banned location and alert police when required.
The young offenders would be enrolled in one of 57 alternative government and non-government schools in Melbourne, which could include online learning.
Youth Justice Commissioner Andrea Davidson said many of the schools involved are already providing education to young people on bail.
Davidson said those fitted with the devices would receive extensive support designed to increase their chances of rehabilitation.
“We know that when a young person is supported comprehensively by a group of professionals from health backgrounds – youth justice, as well as educators – that it gives them the best opportunity to be able to adjust,” she said.
“We would anticipate that there would be a continuation of those same supports on the electronic monitoring trial.”
In March, the Victorian government introduced what it claims are the countries toughest bail laws, in response to growing community concern over rising crime.
Under the new laws, remand will no longer be considered the last resort for youth offenders and community safety would become the overarching principle.
Young people considered an unacceptable risk to community safety would not be considered for electronic monitoring under the reforms.
The latest crime statistics revealed a 13.2 per cent increase in offences, the highest it had been since 2016. Youth crime has spiked to a 16-year-high, with crimes against the person, assaults, aggravated burglaries, car thefts and robberies all rising.
Davidson said about 48 young people were subject to intensive bail in 2023, which is the closest bail setting to electronic monitoring.
The youth justice commissioner said similar monitoring programs for young offenders had been undertaken in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia, with varied success.
“What we do know is that the best outcomes are achieved in these trials when young people receive intensive supports … so ensuring that they are using their data effectively, that we are re engaging them in pro social activities, that we’re looking at all those protective factors that can assist young people to turn their lives around, she said.
