I had the opportunity to attend the SA Government’s Roundtable on Serious Repeat Young Offenders at the end of March.
It was a space that brought together a broad collective of people, and most importantly, young people themselves.
The young people’s presence was a powerful reminder that in the context of youth justice we are talking about real lives — children with hopes, pain, and potential.
Coming together for discussion with stakeholders is something that is valued by the sector and that I am appreciative of.
But it would be remiss of me not to share my concerns about the South Australian Government’s new Young Offender Plan.
The foundations of the plan are built on a dangerous illusion: that locking up more children will somehow make our communities safer.
Let’s be clear — there is no youth crime wave in South Australia, this has been confirmed by the numbers presented at the roundtable and those that were released publicly by the South Australian government itself.
Yet, there is talk of proposed tightening of bail laws, expanding police powers, and replicating anti-gang legislation originally designed to target adult criminal organisations.
The justification? A small number of young people, who are said to pose a threat to community safety through either the severity of their crimes, or the fact that they are charged with offences on an ongoing basis.
Rather than address the systems failing these children, there is a desire to hold them longer in custody…to deliver programs they can’t otherwise access.
In other words, young people are being punished because services aren’t available unless they’re locked up.
This plan is not about safety — it’s about control.
If these laws were to be introduced and pass parliament, we know from other states what happens next.
In Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, similar laws have led to more children held on remand, overcrowded detention centres, and a devastating rise in Aboriginal incarceration.
These reforms don’t prevent crime. They trap vulnerable young people in a cycle of harm.
The government’s plan would disproportionately impact Aboriginal and African Australian children, many of whom are already targeted by heavily criticised police operations like the former Operation Mandrake and Operation Meld – now merged under the Youth Street Gangs Taskforce
Some may say that these children are part of organised crime syndicates, but I have a different perspective – they’re kids navigating poverty, trauma, racism, and a lack of support.
Adelaide’s youth detention centre at capacity
The Adelaide Youth Training Centre has had a difficult start to 2025 with at least one occasion that it was over the current 60-bed capacity.
Placed under such pressures – and as any facility that has limited occupancy levels would it struggled to operate at the optimal level with staffing, education, and programming interruptions.
If the South Australian government was to push more young people into custody with draconian measures like harsh bail reforms, the very real and foreseeable result is that young people incarcerated in the Adelaide Youth Training Centre will experience reduced access to programs, increased isolation, and risk long-term harm.
I question if that risk of harm is worth giving police powers to stop teenagers seeking community, associating with their peers.
In saying this, I do not seek to minimise the real harms caused by criminal offending. When communities experience violent crimes, or frightening experiences such as having their homes broken into, it is natural to seek solutions.
The reality is that community members experience most offending from adults in the community. But a small proportion of offenders — less than 10% — are young people under the age of 18.
We should always be asking ourselves how we can reduce this number further, to both keep our communities safe for all children and young people.
At the end of the day, they are children. Adults hold the responsibility and the power to understand what is causing offending behaviours and help prevent that happening.
The most frustrating part is that the government already has better solutions.
Reports like To Break the Cycle (2007), From Those Who Know (2024), the African Communities Council of SA’s 2023 inquiry into youth crime within African South Australian communities, and the Final Report of the Advisory Commission into the Incarceration Rates of Aboriginal Peoples in South Australia have outlined what works: early intervention, community-led diversion programs, trauma-informed care, and raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
These aren’t radical ideas. They’re evidence-based, cost-effective, and backed by the voices of the young people we’re failing to support.
We have a choice. We can follow other states down a punitive path that fills detention centres and fails communities. Or we can lead — by listening, investing in young people, and building a justice system that truly delivers.
It’s time to stop criminalising children for the system’s failures — and start holding ourselves to a higher standard.
If we truly want to reduce reoffending, we must start by investing in their futures, not by punishing their pasts.
