We have created this environment for this sort of behaviour to fester – but our government, system, and media continue to give them every reason to continue to do what they’re doing and, worse, to encourage the recruitment of younger kids to do it.
So what if they are vulnerable, poor or uneducated or, dare I say it, ‘victims of colonisation’. Go tell that to the dairy owner when his business has been smashed and robbed for the fifth time this year, or when a baseball bat is swung at his head, or the security guard who just got bashed for it. How does that make it OK?
There are thousands upon thousands of kids in our country who have suffered those issues, and more, but they don’t stoop so low as to use it as an excuse to commit violent crime. The vast majority pick themselves up with a thing called ‘pride’ and ‘respect’ and crack on with life in society and are productive and have never committed the crimes the small minority do.
Does that mean these kids don’t need help? Of course they do. But what we can’t continue to facilitate is this culture of excuses and treatment with hugs and mugs of Milo. Inexplicably this government has a penchant for refusing to come down hard on bad behaviour.
For goodness sake, any parent knows bringing up kids in a household needs boundaries and consequences. The further they push the boundaries, the harsher the consequences. It’s not a hard concept.
Give these kids what they need – care, genuine adult involvement, boundaries and, most importantly, consequences. And by consequences I mean something they won’t like. Not a slap on the wrist and not giving them ‘street cred’ with their mates.
It’s clear they don’t give two fifths if they get caught. Why? ’Cause the consequences are laughable.
Police are doing the best they can with what they’ve got. But it’s pointless if police catch them and the courts release them – which is what they do and is why we are seeing this massive blow out of youth crime. They just don’t care.
Put money and resources into prevention all you want. But this is not binary. It can’t be at the sacrifice of punishment and accountability – which is what this current government seems to think.
Newsflash – it’s not working and the numbers of youth committing these violent crimes are growing for reason.
“If you keep doing what you’ve done you’re gonna keep getting what you’ve got.”
Time for change.
Does that mean these kids don’t need help? Of course they do. But what we can’t continue to facilitate is this culture of excuses and treatment with hugs and mugs of Milo. Inexplicably this government has a penchant for refusing to come down hard on bad behaviour.
For goodness sake, any parent knows bringing up kids in a household needs boundaries and consequences. The further they push the boundaries, the harsher the consequences. It’s not a hard concept.
Give these kids what they need – care, genuine adult involvement, boundaries and, most importantly, consequences. And by consequences I mean something they won’t like. Not a slap on the wrist and not giving them ‘street cred’ with their mates.
It’s clear they don’t give two fifths if they get caught. Why? ’Cause the consequences are laughable.
Police are doing the best they can with what they’ve got. But it’s pointless if police catch them and the courts release them – which is what they do and is why we are seeing this massive blow out of youth crime. They just don’t care.
Put money and resources into prevention all you want. But this is not binary. It can’t be at the sacrifice of punishment and accountability – which is what this current government seems to think.
Newsflash – it’s not working and the numbers of youth committing these violent crimes are growing for reason.
“If you keep doing what you’ve done you’re gonna keep getting what you’ve got.”
Time for change.
Former NZ First MP Darroch Ball was elected to the New Zealand parliament at the 2014 general election, is currently co-leader and spokesperson for the Sensible Sentencing Trust. This article was published HERE
2 comments:
The Government - and the media - have been at fault in making far too much of the maltreatment of young people in care, and their hugely disrespectful treatment of Oranga Tamariki. Not to say at all that there were not real issues of inexcusable abuse in PAST youth justice institutions. There were, but the balance has been distorted. There were also good role models, food, clothes, clean beds, consistency.
It is entirely futile to assert that we must send these criminal young people to the 'caring communities'. This is so ridiculous it defies one's faith in human intelligence - Chris Hipkins. These are sadly criminogenic communities, rife with booze, drugs, sexual abuse, total lack of oversight.
People go on about the futile effect of imprisonment in rehabilitation - and that's another story - but let's have some positive media on the kids who do succeed in turning away from criminality when someone gives a damn about them - even if they are communities run by OT.
(Just have to add how completely responsible Sam Uffindell had to be for 'bullying') at 16 - while ram-raiders can't be held accountable because of their youth)
A time worn argument by one Jarrod Gilbert in todays Herald repeating that it due colonisation and the transfer of maori from the country to town. Until about 1930 the rural population was relatively large. Many communities evident as groups of houses to the 1950s are now just names (Donnellys Crossing, Ioi, Mataroa, Pemberton, mangapehi, Rewa, and scores of others). Very many of population were not maori and the transiton to city was not accompanied by crime. The later transfer to the city of maori seems to have unleached maori tendencies which hard nosed farmers (often with a rifle or shot gun in their truck) discouraged in the country.
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