New Manukau residence increases youth justice beds

A new 46-bed youth justice residence in Manukau will help address a national shortage of youth justice beds and provide a therapeutic environment for young people who offend, Child, Youth and Family Minister Ruth Dyson said today.

Opening the Youth Justice North Residential Centre, Ms Dyson said the facility incorporated the findings of Child, Youth and Family's residential services strategy.

"The government is concerned that a shortage of beds in youth justice facilities has meant an unacceptably high number of young people spend time in police custody. The new residence will help address this concern."

Forty of the beds are for youth justice residents, bringing the total number of youth justice beds nationwide to 90, an increase of 15. The residence also has a new six-bed criminal justice unit that will replace the existing facility run by Child, Youth and Family at Kingslea in Christchurch.

The completion of another new residence in Christchurch next year will add a further 12 youth justice beds.

Ruth Dyson said Youth Justice North incorporated a new therapeutic approach to residential care for young people, in line with international best practice.

"The focus is on providing integrated social, educational and cultural services tailored to the needs of young people. Individualised care and treatment plans will address their reasons for offending. Access to learning opportunities is designed to help them re-integrate into the community."

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>