Herald on Sunday editorial: Fate of our youth

Youth will have less chance of feeling full force of the law under new changes. Photo / Getty Images

COMMENT: It will stick in the craw of many readers that "the little toe-rag" who stole their car or burgled their home will have less chance of feeling the full force of the law under changes to the youth justice system.

But this is lazy thinking that fails to keep pace with what we are constantly learning about the factors that drive young people to a life of crime.

It's been widely understood for a long time that a poor upbringing plays a huge role in a young person's future direction. A home where there may be dysfunctional relationships, drugs and alcohol or an absent parent, for example, are red flags.

But increasingly science is discovering that our brains are still developing into our 20s.

From July next year, young people in trouble with the law will face the Youth Court, rather than the adult District Court, until they are 18 — up from 17 at the moment.

Exemptions to that remain in serious cases such as murder, manslaughter, sexual assaults and aggravated robbery.

There is some criticism, largely stemming from a fear that resources will be tied up with 18-year-olds when it should be focused on 10-13-year-olds where the chance of successful intervention is much higher.

There are others, citing international examples, who say the age should be higher still.

And there will be those who bemoan a "soft on crime" approach.

The debate, of course, is not about which court these young people appear in — it is about how they are punished.

The Youth Court has a range of initiatives and interventions aimed at keeping teenagers out of prison. Put simply, rehabilitation. This is one of the cornerstones of criminal punishment. A poor start in life can lead to a range of problems.

As Youth Court Judge John Walker tells us in today's feature, these probelms "do not stop when a young person reaches 17".

It may be hard to swallow this when it's your home burgled or grandparent mugged, but we owe it to these young people to give them the opportunities that their childhood did not.