Description
Earlier this year, the Federal Government established a Royal Commission into the Child Protection and Youth Detention Systems of the Northern Territory. The NSW Government, however, considers a Royal Commission of this nature unnecessary in NSW, particularly since the state is experiencing a surge in violent crime and gang activity. Instead, the NSW Premier has announced that tough changes to the Young Offenders Act (YOA) 1997 (NSW) and the Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987 (NSW) are necessary to curb the growing violence and deter young people from engaging in further crime. The following three amendments to the Young Offenders Act 1997 (NSW) and Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987 (NSW) are considered by the NSW Government as the only way to protect the community. These changes are:
1. Police are no longer able to apply the YOA to custody of knife offences
2. The introduction of mandatory sentencing for all violent offenders
3. The introduction of naming and shaming
The NSW Government has asked the NSW Ombudsman to investigate these proposed changes and report back to Parliament. As a member of the NSW Ombudsman project team, you have been instructed by your project manager to:
Select ONE proposed amendment and write a 1,000 word ( +/-10% leniency) briefing paper advising the NSW Government of the possible consequences of such changes for young people in NSW.
