Locking up children: “Not punitive” according to Premier Chris Minns
NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns has defended his Government’s position that more young people in prison is a positive metric for reducing crime, while also pushing back on Supreme Court Justices that have criticised the “ham-fisted” approach taken by the State Government. In a heated exchange in budget estimates, the Premier asserted that putting more young people in prison was not a punitive measure and that the criminal justice system is supporting rehabilitation.
The Premier did not rule out the creation of an Independent NSW Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People to better support real community based support of First Nations young people.
Greens MP and spokesperson for justice Sue Higginson said “The idea that more police, and more young people in prison, is somehow evidence of successfully tackling crime is an affront to the evidence, to the courts, to communities, to all young people, and to the families of the First Nations young people that are in prison today rather than being supported in their community,”
”When Premier Chris Minns calls out the Greens for not wanting more young people involved in the criminal justice system, he’s right about one thing - unlike him, we believe in evidence based policies that understand sending young people to prison leads to more and more serious offending when those young people mature,”
“Right now, the NSW Government is preparing to extend youth bail laws for a further 3 years. Justified on the completely incorrect and frightening basis that more young people in prison and more young people being denied bail means that their tough on crime stance is succeeding. They couldn’t be further from the truth,”
“By forcing more young people into the criminal justice system, and through the prisons, the Minns Labor Government is causing serious long term harm to those young people, entrenching crime, incarceration is criminogenic and increases crime. That’s what the evidence shows us, and that’s what the experts warned when these laws were introduced in 2024,”
“Despite Premier Minns’ assertions that increasing numbers of people in prison is a success, I appreciate that he didn’t immediately oppose an Independent NSW Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People. This is the kind of systemic change that could make a real difference to young people and their communities, and actually address the drivers of crime rather than increasing the work of Corrective Services. I have followed up on this opening by the Premier by writing to both him and the Minister for Youth Justice, asking for them to start this important work,”
“The Premier is treating vulnerable young people in NSW as a political hot potato. He is dropping money on services while undermining the effectiveness of those same services by backing in laws that are in fact punitive and damaging to communities. It is understandable that communities and victims of crime want justice, but the Minns Labor Government needs to stand firm on the distinction between overly punitive revenge politics and actual crime reduction.” Ms Higginson said.