NSW splits on youth crime: lock them up or help them escape gangs
NSW proposes adult prison sentences for serious youth crimes. Advocates warn 85 per cent of released children return within a year.
The NSW government announced youth could face adult penalties. These include life imprisonment for serious organised crime violence.
Police say gangs recruit children on the dark web for small amounts of money. But Mindy Sotiri of the Justice Reform Initiative argues the response punishes exploitation rather than addressing it.
In Australia, 85 per cent of children released from prison return within 12 months. About 208 children are locked up in NSW, most not yet sentenced.
Why it mattersHow NSW treats youth crime shapes whether young people trapped in gangs get a chance to turn around. Or whether they go deeper into the system.
AustraliaNSW policy directly affects hundreds of young Australians in the justice system and how courts handle organised crime involving minors.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 12 d ago
