New youth crime policy proposed by One Nation SA targets offenders, neglectful parents, and magistrates

One Nation SA has a bold idea to make young criminals and their parents pay their victims, and one that will put the heat on the court system when it comes to granting bail.

Repeat youth offenders and neglectful parents would be forced to make restitution to victims, while magistrates who make poor bail decisions would be made to explain themselves to an empowered community panel under a new One Nation SA law-and-order policy.

It comes as both the Guardian for Children and Young People and the Greens have condemned the state government’s latest plan to tackle youth crime, saying it will create problems – not fix them.

On Wednesday, the government announced draft legislation under which if a young person is convicted of three serious offences, they would automatically be declared a repeat offender, making it harder for them to get bail.

One Nation SA wants youth offenders to make financial restitution to victims. Picture: File

The bill – to be introduced next month – also imposes tougher sentences whereby if a young serious offender is sentenced to a term of detention after already doing so previously, they would need to serve at least four-fifths of their new sentence in custody.

However, One Nation said the government needed to introduce “real accountability to victims and the community for an effective crackdown on repeat youth offenders”.

SA president Carlos Quaremba said the party’s priority was the safety of the community “and that means keeping repeat offenders off the streets”.

One Nation SA president Carlos Quaremba. Picture: Supplied

“If that means we need more youth-detention capacity, then so be it,” he said.

Mr Quaremba said the party wanted repeat offenders to make financial restitution to victims of property crime as part of their rehabilitation.

“In those cases where the offender is a minor and parental neglect is determined to be a factor in the offending, parents would also be required to make restitution,” he said.

Mr Quaremba said the party’s policy also included the establishment of a panel comprising members of the community and legal experts “before which magistrates would be required to appear to justify bailing a repeat offender who commits another crime while on bail”.

Guardian for Children and Young People Shona Reid said the government’s approach was counter-productive.

The Guardian for Children and Young People and the Greens are critical of youth crime policies that lead to more young people being in detention. Picture: File

“The government’s rhetoric is setting up the community to think imposing harsher penalties will achieve community safety, when evidence tells us this will not happen,” she said.

“In fact, the younger a person enters youth detention, the more likely they are to reoffend.

“We are far better off investing the millions currently spent on detaining children in harmful and traumatising environments into responses that work – those that address the drivers of offending.”

Greens MP Robert Simms agreed, urging the government to abandon its “populist law-and-order policies”.

Originally published as New youth crime policy proposed by One Nation SA targets offenders, neglectful parents, and magistrates