KEY POINTS:
The Government has agreed in principle to doubling some sentences for young criminals in a bid to curb serious teenage offending.
Child Youth and Family (CYF) and the Justice Ministry are currently developing policies to tackle youth offending, with one option the doubling of residential sentences for "serious and persistent" youth offenders from three months to six months.
Under the proposed changes, youths could also be monitored for a year after their release.
CYF deputy chief executive Ray Smith said the plan stemmed from recommendations in a Ministerial Taskforce on Youth Offending and had been agreed to in principle by Government Ministers in February.
However, ministers had asked officials to work on some gaps in the plan and to consult with stakeholders.
That consultation had been recently concluded, with most stakeholders supporting the proposed new orders.
Mr Smith said work was continuing and a final proposal was expected to be put before Cabinet in July next year.
As a whole youth crime had been relatively stable over the past decade, but Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft has said many in the sector are increasingly concerned by the serious violent offences being committed by the worst group of offenders.
"All youth offending needs to be taken seriously, but we need to be more concerned about the small group that trouble us," he said in August.
However, youth offending had remained at 22 per cent of total offending during the past 10 years, he said.
- NZPA
