Young crime is often a phase, and locking kids up is counterproductive
- Written by Joel Robert McGregor, Associate Lecturer, University of Newcastle
Last week, violent riots erupted in the NSW Frank Baxter Juvenile Justice Centre. Several inmates allegedly attacked known sex offenders, and a held a siege on the rooftop lasting nearly 22 hours. In June, officers at the centre walked off the job after a number of violent attacks by detainees.
And on average, 980 young people were in youth...