Social Enterprise Scotland’s Post

Over the past two weeks, we have witnessed the start of the coronial inquest into the tragic death of young Cleveland Dodd RIP, the first recorded death in juvenile detention in Western Australia. As part of the Coalition for Social Reinvestment WA (SRWA), Ruah stands united with our fellow advocates, urging the WA government to listen and #raisetheage of criminal responsibility. This inquest never should have been necessary. Did you know it costs $1,339 per day to detain one child at Banksia Hill? That's nearly half a million dollars per child per year (2). Yet, our juvenile detention system Australia-wide is failing to rehabilitate and reintegrate young people, with 66% of young people aged 10 – 16 returning to sentenced detention within 6 months of being released, and 85% within 12 months in 2020/2021 (1).  This isn't the solution. Youth-work-based programs have proven to cut youth recidivism in half, at a fraction of the cost (2). It simply doesn't make sense no matter how we look at it, financially nor morally, to imprison children as young as 10 years old. Our young people are being robbed of the opportunities to meet their full potential. We must never forget, behind these numbers are real lives—children, families, communities—all deserving of better. Our hearts go out to Cleveland's family and community, enduring a process no family of a 16-year-old should ever face. It's time for change. #RaisetheAge #JusticeForCleveland ++ Thank you to the incredible team at Social Reinvestment WA for your advocacy and leadership in this space.  1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, August 2023  2. Raise the Age WA:  Social Reinvestment WA Snapshot, April 2020 https://lnkd.in/g85tw3ZX 

Over the past two weeks, we have witnessed the start of the coronial inquest into the tragic death of young Cleveland Dodd, the first recorded death in juvenile detention in Western Australia. As Ruah Community Services is part of the Coalition for Social Reinvestment WA (SRWA), Ruah stands united with our fellow advocates, urging the WA government to listen and #raisetheage of criminal responsibility. This inquest never should have been necessary. Did you know it costs $1,339 per day to detain one child at Banksia Hill? That's nearly half a million dollars per child per year (2). Yet, our juvenile detention system Australia-wide is failing to rehabilitate and reintegrate young people, with 66% of young people aged 10 – 16 returning to sentenced detention within 6 months of being released, and 85% within 12 months in 2020/2021 (1).  This isn't the solution. Youth-work-based programs have proven to cut youth recidivism in half, at a fraction of the cost (2). It simply doesn't make sense no matter how we look at it, financially nor morally, to imprison children as young as 10 years old. Our young people are being robbed of the opportunities to meet their full potential. We must never forget, behind these numbers are real lives—children, families, communities—all deserving of better. Our hearts go out to Cleveland's family and community, enduring a process no family of a 16-year-old should ever face. It's time for change. #RaisetheAge #JusticeForCleveland ++ Thank you to the incredible team at Social Reinvestment WA for your advocacy and leadership in this space.  1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, August 2023  2. Raise the Age WA:  Social Reinvestment WA Snapshot, April 2020 https://lnkd.in/g85tw3ZX 

60 organisations and 560 experts have written to the Premier with grave concerns about the proposed laws that will make it harder for young people aged 14-17 to be released on bail for certain offences. The evidence tells us that such laws do not make communities safer and in fact exacerbate the social drivers of young people’s contact with the justice system. We urgently call for NSW Premier Chris Minns not to progress these laws that will make it harder for children between the ages of 14-17 to be released on bail for certain offences. We urge the Premier to adopt the three point youth crime prevention plan put forward by a coalition of Aboriginal and legal organisations including the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT): - Resources allocated for local communities to support after-school, evening and weekend activities that engage at-risk young people. - Intensive and targeted programs and responses for at-risk children with appropriate referral services. - Formal community partnerships between police and Aboriginal controlled services. Read the full letter here: https://lnkd.in/gw8s5SZD

#NewReport- New analysis from the The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) and Justice and Care reveals that almost half (45 per cent) of those suffering from #criminalexploitation are British #boys aged 17 and under. The new report, “Criminal Exploitation: Modern slavery by another name”, found that criminal exploitation is the most common type of #modernslavery occurring in the #UK over the past four years according to National Referral Mechanism (NRM) statistics. The vast majority of victims are #British (64 per cent) and are mostly #teenagers and vulnerable adults who are “forced, coerced or groomed into committing crime for someone else’s benefit”. Read 👉 https://lnkd.in/g6r-7n_E #boys #awarenessmatters #modernslavery #UK #newrelease #media

Manifestos are light on solutions for tackling homelessness for people leaving prison. With only 86.3% housed on release, dropping to 75.5% after 3 months, this issue is critical. Stable housing cuts reoffending by 50%. The next government must prioritize housing solutions for people leaving prisoners to reduce reoffending and save £18 billion annually. Read our latest blog on what the manifestos say on housing/homelessness and what can be done to support people leaving prison access accommodation👇 https://lnkd.in/eU-MHQbK

In 2023, the percentage of children who reoffended within 12 months of being released from Queensland’s youth detention centres was between 84 and 96 per cent. A QFCC report ( https://lnkd.in/gcqf-jXT ) released last week found that for these children—who come from backgrounds of poverty, family breakdown and dysfunction, and unstable housing—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻. Children’s Commissioner Luke Twyford writes in the foreword: ‘Our current model of detention does not work. We are spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars on a machine that is working less than five per cent of the time. It is the most expensive, and least effective, solution to youth crime that we have designed… ‘…𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰, 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.’ Email the Premier and demand he get Queensland kids out of watch houses: https://lnkd.in/g_dtPsrV

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Early interventions, mental health skills, strong community networks and adults that model the behavious we say we value (looking at you, politicians who use bullying behaviour and language in question time) are some of the foundational strategies that need to underpin any real change to the nations mindset. It’s a big ask, and a big task. Adults need as much upskilling (and usually a lot more therapy than) small children to make meaningful change, but it CAN be made. Our job is to invest meaningfully - Our time. Our efforts. Upskilling ourselved to become the adults our kids deserve. It takes a village, working together. We SUCCEED when the community grows together and we no longer have a need to build another detention centre.

🚨 Did you know? Children involved in crime are more likely to reoffend. For the year ending March 2021, those with no previous offences had a reoffending rate of 16.4%, compared to 63.8% for those who had committed 11 or more previous offences. It's time to break the cycle! 💪 Investing in early interventions can save society £1.5 billion/year and create positive outcomes for our youth. The Arukah Project is delighted to be able to offer interventions to children and young adults across Portsmouth, ensuring every child has the chance to thrive and our communities stay safe. #BreakTheCycle #InvestInYouth #CommunitySupport 🌟#youthjustice #trauma #EFT #tapping #emotionalresilience #traumainformed #prison #rehabilitation #recoveryispossible #mentalhealth #portsmouth #aces #childhoodtrauma Ministry of Justice UK HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) NHS England Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB)

📣 Thirty years ago, VAWA marked a pivotal shift in addressing gender-based violence, recognizing it as a national crisis. As we reflect on its impact, let’s unite to advance the fight against intimate partner violence. NGOs advocates, victim services professionals, community leaders, government officials, and partners from the criminal and civil justice systems, your continued dedication is crucial. Join us in pushing for a future free from violence and full of support for survivors. #EndIntimatePartnerViolence #VAWA30 #GlobalWomenImpact Follow and support organizations making a difference: The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) WOMENSLAW ORG RAINN DomesticShelters.org

Sally Benton, The Forward Trust’s Executive Director for Fundraising and Communications, discusses the impact of the early release scheme on prisoners and society in her latest blog. At Forward, we believe that prisoners deserve the right to rehabilitation, which is why we provide many services to those currently in custody, as well as to those who have been released. Read Sally’s blog here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eDXxQUFH #EarlyReleaseScheme #PrisonServices #Rehabilitation #CriminalJusticeSystem #PrisonSupport #RehabilitationSupport #ExOffenders #Support #CriminalJusticeReform #Labour #LabourPolicy #ForwardTrust