Charity curbs youth crime with diversionary programs

While Western Australia grapples with escalating youth crime rates, there is growing demand for effective diversionary programs to prevent offending.

An Australian Bureau of Statistics report showed youth crime rates and violence among teens in WA have increased. The number of WA offenders aged 10-17 increased by 4 per cent in 2022-23.  Nationally, the crime rate among 10- to 17-year-olds rose by 6 per cent in 2022-23, and the number of violent crimes committed by that age group has increased nationally by 10 per cent in the past decade.

Constable Care Foundation (CCF) is thinking outside the box and using creative strategies to turn at-risk youth away from crime and promote more positive behaviours.

These special intensive programs are delivered to schools and institutions where some of the most at-risk young people can be found, including those already involved with the criminal justice system. Settings include high schools in low socio-economic areas, remote Aboriginal communities, Curriculum and Reengagement in Education schools and other institutions and community groups.

Offered as part of CCF’s Youth Choices project, which includes a growing branch of initiatives aimed at teenagers, the programs allow participants to choose their own social issues that are relevant to them and their communities. Often, it’s drug and alcohol abuse, violence, mental health, discrimination, unhealthy relationships, money, crime, recidivism, peer pressure and gangs that fall under the microscope.

Participants then develop their own theatre program about the chosen topic during twice-weekly workshops over a 10-week school term. In regional and remote locations, facilitators use acting, scriptwriting and filmmaking to explore the issue in daily workshops over two weeks.

The rigorous projects culminate in a community performance or screening. At the events, a lively community discussion is facilitated as audience members suggest and perform alternative actions in scenes to get better solutions to the stories being told.

CCF chief executive Ian Anstee said the process empowers participants with skills and strategies to make better choices when faced with real-life challenges.

“Young people at-risk are often the ones that miss out on participating in opportunities like this. It gives them a chance to explore an alternative way of expressing their opinions and solving problems, while stimulating their critical thinking, decision-making teamwork and empathy skills,” he said.

“The intensive programs allow us to work with young people for a long time, so we have lots of opportunities to explore alternative choices and build skill sets. The discussions that take place have a ripple effect throughout entire communities. It really works towards driving positive social change.”

• In October 2022, WA Government announced a review of WA’s Young Offenders Act 1994, where children as young as 10 can be found guilty of a criminal offence and placed in youth detention, which is reportedly yet to begin consultation.
• The Department of Justice's annual report for 2022-23 showed the daily cost of detaining a child was $2,184, up from $1,361 the year before. The daily cost of managing a young person in the community, in comparison, was $130, down slightly from $139 the year before.
• In January 2024, a WA Commissioner for Children and Young people report called for an overhaul of WA’s youth justice system, recommending early intervention and prevention approaches. The report showed more than half the children and young people placed in detention returned within 12 months and linked risks for young offending with socio-economic disadvantage, unstable family environments, education disengagement, homelessness, mental illness and disability.
• In February 2024, WA premier Roger Cook pointed to a range of work the government is undertaking, including increasing staffing numbers in youth detention and getting more young people into support programs both in and outside of detention.