Keeping kids out of the criminal justice system
Researchers at Monash University’s Criminal Justice Research Consortium, in collaboration with Dr Nina Papalia from the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology, conducted a study funded by the Australian Institute of Criminology. The study provides robust data on 10- to 13-year-old children with offending behavior, highlighting their high rates of early adversity, trauma, educational exclusion, and unmet mental health and disability-related needs.
The research suggests that justice reinvestment towards trauma-informed approaches and a diversionary multidisciplinary case management service could better support these children. The study emphasises the importance of raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility and using child justice responses as a last resort, aligning with international human rights recommendations.
Read the full article in Monash Lens
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