Editorial: Shock rate of reoffending for young criminals in Queensland

Almost every Queenslander has a story of how they have been either directly impacted by juvenile crime, or that they know someone who has. And even though the state government has promised to act, the problem is only getting worse.

Almost every Queenslander has a story of how they have been either directly impacted by juvenile crime, or that they know someone who has. The very few who fall outside that category are acutely aware of the growing risks and are altering their lifestyles to deal with what is a relatively new social phenomenon.

Whether that is buying expensive security equipment, hiring private security firms to patrol their streets at night, or simply losing sleep from worry – unnerved by every gust of wind or slamming door – we are all in some way being held hostage by a small group of youth criminals who are now well versed in another new reality: that crime for them carries few, if any, consequences.

Today we report on a statistic that will concern Queensland: that 85 per cent of Queensland’s most serious young offenders reoffend within 12 months. Yep, pretty well every one of them within a year of being caught are done again for the break and enters, car stealing, knife crimes and assaults that are making life miserable for the thousands of Queenslanders who are the victims of their chaotic lifestyles.

This is a serious problem for the Palaszczuk government, as it is being blamed for the scourge of youth crime – and its attempts to address the problem are proving unsuccessful.

The other challenge is that as this year has progressed, this problem has spiralled rather than receded.

In the past couple of weeks alone we have reported on multiple violent attacks – including the brutal stabbing of a pizza delivery driver by a group of juveniles outside a house in Bellbird Park, brazen stabbings in Fortitude Valley and an attack on a Forest Lake family over an e-scooter.

This newspaper started 2023 giving voice to the victims of crime with our “Enough is Enough’’ campaign that first highlighted the fact that it is a small group of repeat offenders who are responsible for most of the fear and heartache making its way through our cities, suburbs and regional centres.

The government responded by making all the right noises, declaring juvenile crime a priority, legislating “tough new rules” and, in its last budget, setting a target to reduce the number of juveniles declared serious repeat offenders to just 5 per cent of all offenders by the end of the next financial year.

That is an ambitious target and, given the evidence now before us, one which the government is unlikely to meet.

Now, it is true the Serious Repeat Offender Index which ranks youth offenders in order of severity from one to six or more shows a welcome decline in the number of youth offenders over the past 12 months. But the same index reveals the number of serious offenders has actually increased.

As leading Bond University criminologist Terry Goldsworthy says, youth crime is skyrocketing yet it seems the government is “mired in mud” on the issue.

The utter absurdity of giving a youthful offender a choice as to whether they participate in a rehabilitation program has to be called out, as does the very nature of those programs.

Suggesting a violent and unrepentant young criminal sit down with one of their victims and discuss how their actions have impacted on the victim’s life is more an exercise in psychology than criminal justice. The majority of the offenders themselves are (and this is now demonstrably true) utterly dismissive of these attempts at rehabilitation.

What is needed is a recognition among youths that serious crime always has serious consequences.

This is not a call for retributive justice. It is an acknowledgement that if youthful Queenslanders don’t learn these lessons in their teen years, they are unlikely to pursue a useful adult life. Because when they move beyond their 18th birthday and into their adult years, they will swiftly learn that the lifestyle they have chosen actually does have a few consequences. One is a two-by-three-metre prison cell.

Get behind our teams in fight for NRLW title

With hundreds of thousands of sporting fans set to head to World Cup soccer matches throughout Australia over the next few weeks it is important not to neglect the start of another important women’s sporting season this weekend.

An expanded NRLW competition kicks off on Saturday, with three Queensland teams now in the running for premiership honours.

The North Queensland Cowboys join the Brisbane Broncos and the Gold Coast Titans for the 2023 season. The women’s competition has been growing in popularity over the past few seasons and this year has been expanded to nine rounds with four extra teams.

The weekend starts with a clash between the Titans and Cowboys, before former premiers the Broncos take on the powerful Sydney Roosters.

Queensland started the year with a win in the NRLW State of Origin, so it’s time to get behind our teams and push for another title.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us