Essay Criminal Justice – Young Offenders

Resource Description

Assess the effectiveness of the criminal justice system when dealing with young offenders

INTRO: The criminal justice system is effective in approaching and dealing with young offenders, however, it does have some limitations. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), whilst the Australian national offender rate is only 2%, offenders aged between 10-19, make up 26% of that total offender rate. Due to the large proportion of crime committed by the youth of Australia’s society, the criminal justice system has employed unique policies, which protects the rights and wellbeing of young people (offenders), as well as society’s needs and interests. Furthermore, the system acknowledges a juvenile’s maturity and vulnerability, through its application of the doli incapax principle, when considering aspects such as sentencing and punishment. The criminal justice system also takes into account the factors influencing juvenile crime, some of which include, peer pressure and socioeconomic status, and as a result, promote the initiation of numerous situational and social crime prevention strategies, to reduce the risk of young people being involved in criminal activity. Essentially, the criminal justice system is effective in dealing with young offenders, due to the way in which the legal system enacts legislation, according to Australia’s obligations to international documents, such as the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CROC), hence protecting the individual rights of young people, even though this may lead to unjust outcomes for victims and society.