Cameron Atfield reports in the Brisbane Times (26.5.16) on the findings of a US expert in juvenile justice, tasked by the state government with recommending improvements to Queensland’s youth justice system.
‘An American expert commissioned by the Queensland government to improve its juvenile justice system says he’s surprised by the relatively low incarceration rate in the state.
‘Peabody Research Institute director Mark Lipsey, a world-leading authority on juvenile justice based at the Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said comparatively few young offenders were kept in custody in Queensland.
‘”There’s a remarkably low rate of kids in detention in Queensland, it’s really striking,” Dr Lipsey said.
‘”The vast majority of kids are being treated in the community and that’s a good thing. We have lots of evidence that if you can manage in the community, the outcomes will be better”.’