November 01, 2016
Growing support for raising youth justice age
Just Speak says it has collected more than 3000 signature in a week for its petition to raise the age of youth justice to 21.
Director Katie Bruce says the government's own research shows keeping young people in the youth system reduces the frequency and escalation of their offending.
That research found just over half of participants in family group conferences were identified as Maori
She says prison is no place for young people, and they need support to turn their lives around.
In the United Kingdom some MPs are now arguing for young offenders up to the age of 25 to be kept out of adult prisons because of irrefutable evidence the typical adult male brain is not fully formed until at least the mid-20s,
An opposing petition from the Sensible Sentencing Trust calling for they youth justice age limit to stay at 16 has received just 200 supporters in five days.
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