Foreword
This is the second of two reports that deals with young offenders. Our 2005 report Managing and Measuring Success: Department of Juvenile Justice examined how the department measures performance, and whether staff have adequate information to make sound planning decisions and recommend appropriate interventions for young offenders.
In this audit we looked at how well the Department of Juvenile Justice and the NSW Police Force support young offenders to reduce their reoffending.
There are many factors in a young person’s life that may lead them to commit an offence. These include anti-social attitudes, family dysfunction, mental health problems, and drug and alcohol abuse. Some young offenders will overcome these factors without committing another offence, but others may need help.
And it is more likely that a young offender will reoffend the more often they come into contact with the youth justice system.
Early intervention to address a young offender’s needs before reoffending occurs is critical to breaking the juvenile crime cycle.
This report highlights the work done by the Department of Juvenile Justice and the NSW Police Force to help young offenders. It also identifies some of the gaps that exist in the NSW youth justice system that need to be addressed to reduce reoffending.
Auditor-General
March 2007