Detention in Police cells increases youth reoffending

“Being detained in police cells is likely to increase the chances that a young offender will reoffend. It is a key point in a youngster’s criminal career, and should be avoided wherever possible” says Kim Workman, Director of Rethinking Crime and Punishment.

“The excellent review by the IPCA, Children’s Commissioner and Human Rights Commission into the detention of youth in custody gives the government a practical steer on what it can do to reduce youth offending. The report is a valuable contribution to the government’s Youth Crime Action Plan, in that it describes a clearly unsatisfactory situation which can be rectified by government within the context of existing policy.”

“The Police deserve better support than they currently get. There are clearly insufficient placement options available. More use of supported bail, an expansion of placement hubs, establishment of special group homes, and availability of residential beds in Youth Justice facilities can all occur without the need for new legislation. Bail could be used more frequently, and more ‘youth advocates’ appointed.”

The greater challenge will be to provide Police with youth-specific training on the issue of police custody. The worst case scenario is that some Police may still believe in the ‘scared straight’ scenario. The idea that young people need to be “frightened” or “threatened” in some way still prevails, and spending the weekend in a police cell may be seen as filling that purpose. Research into this approach concludes that ‘Scared Straight’ approaches are not only ineffective in reducing crime, but actually increase future offending.

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