Breaking the cycle of crime in Townsville

The Queensland Government has implemented a range of initiatives to target youth offending in Townsville.

Multi-Agency Collaboration Panels: These panels comprise representation from key government and community stakeholders and aim to improve the coordination of responses to young people at high risk of continued offending. The panels also assist in identifying and addressing systemic issues and increase community safety.
Townsville Youth Court: Young repeat offenders appear before the same magistrate who can tailor court orders to respond to the individual’s specific family circumstances. The magistrate will also apply penalties that fit the crime. Sentencing options that ensure children are giving back to the community will be prioritised. Magistrates can also order children to participate in education and training.
Fast Track Sentencing trial: The Fast Track Sentencing trial is occurring in a number of communities across Queensland, including Townsville. The purpose of the trial is to identify the causes of court delays and where possible, to reduce and address these to ensure finalisation of matters as efficiently as possible.
Townsville Community Youth Response and Diversion, which includes the following components:
- After-hours safe place: The Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services (TAIHS) Lighthouse and Upper Ross After Hours Diversion Services provides additional after-hours supervision and support for young people at risk of offending.
- Intensive Case management: Repeat offenders and their families are allocated case managers, who will work intensively with them to ensure adequate supervision, arrange counselling, and devise personalised problem-solving strategies.
- Education: Burragah bridging school - delivering a flexi-school program to children who don’t fit into mainstream education. The program focuses on improving literacy and numeracy skills and gets disengaged kids back into education to reduce their risk of offending.
- Cultural mentoring: We are assisting Elders to connect young First Nations offenders and at-risk teens to their culture and to provide positive role models.
24/7 Youth Co-responder Teams: Comprising police and youth justice staff, these teams target antisocial behaviour and repeat offenders in Townsville.
Intensive Case Management: Intensive Case Management is delivered by Youth Justice to young people at moderate to high risk of reoffending. Each Intensive Case Manager works intensively across multiple contacts per week, with the young person and their family, to address the issues underlying their offending. Intensive Case Management involves extensive coordination and partnership with other agencies involved with the young person and family, to ensure there is a unified and coordinated plan for each individual young person.
Bail support services: Delivered by community organisations in Townsville, these services support lower-risk young people on bail to meet their bail conditions.
Community service: A court can order a child found guilty of an offence to do unpaid work in the community for a certain number of hours. The Queensland Government organises for the work to take place with local charities and not for profit services.
Behaviour programs: Offence-focused programs are in place to change behaviour such as anger and aggression and anti-social habits.
Restorative Justice Conferencing: A Restorative Justice Conference is a meeting between a victim of crime and the young person responsible for the offending behaviour. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the harm that has been caused and to work out an agreement about how the young person can make amends for their actions. Restorative Justice Conferencing agreements are legally binding upon the young person and are therefore monitored to ensure they are completed as required.
Electronic monitoring: GPS smart tags may now be fitted to suitable young people as a component of their bail conditions as part of an electronic monitoring trial in five locations, including Townsville.
Framing the Future (Booyah): This program provides mentoring and support to Project Booyah graduates for up to six months after completion. This better connects at-risk young people with further education and training and creates alternative pathways and opportunities to empower them to change their story and live better lives.
Rethinking our Attitudes to Driving (ROAD): This program seeks to reduce the risk of children stealing cars and help them understand the consequences of joyriding in motor vehicles.
On Country: On Country is a response providing culture-based rehabilitation for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people with complex needs. Courts, police or youth workers can refer young people to the program to receive support and supervision by On Country Elders and community leaders, who facilitate connection with culture and country.
Transition to Success (T2S): Commencing in Townsville in July 2016, this program uses a vocational training and therapeutic service model to change the story for young people and their community. Its primary goal is to prevent young people from entering, or re-offending in, the criminal justice system. By partnering with schools, not-for-profit organisations, registered training organisations and local businesses, T2S can offer young people aged 15 years and over the skills, training and support needed to enter the workforce or continue their education.
Street University: Operated by the Noffs Foundation, the Townsville Street University is a program designed to support young people aged 12–25 with substance use, crime and mental health issues. The Street University provides counselling and diversion programs and support to young people to make positive life choices.