The roundtable led by ECU Associate Professor Jocelyn Jones and joined by leaders in youth justice.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) in conjunction with Curtin University, Law School, have hosted a youth justice roundtable at its Mount Lawley campus in response to another tragedy inside the Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
In the latest incident, a 17-year-old became the second teenager to take their own life in custody within the past year.
Led by ECU Associate Professor Jocelyn Jones and Curtin University Associate Professor Hannah McGlade, the meeting was attended by Anne Hollonds, National Children's Commissioner, Professor Fiona Stanley, Lorraine Finlay, Australian Human Rights Commissioner, and Katie Kiss, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
Anne Hollonds, Australian National Children's Commissioner, opened discussions with the 'Help way earlier!' How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing' report.
It investigates opportunities for reform of child justice and related systems across Australia based on children's rights and sound evidence.
"Tragically, by not addressing their human rights early on, and instead taking a punitive approach to their offending, we are essentially criminalising some of the most vulnerable children in Australia," Anne Hollonds said.
"Despite evidence of social disadvantage being the root cause of offending behaviour, policy responses are centred on policing, stricter bail laws and incarceration.
"In many cases these responses worsen the trauma and inequality driving children’s contact with the justice system in the first place," Ms Hollonds added.
An election is around the corner, now is a moment.
"We need to be challenging systems and Voices need to be shouting," Associate Professor Jones said at the roundtable meeting.
"We dedicate our lives to these causes, and we don't see change. It does not feel like the Aboriginal voice is heard or valued," she added.
Associate Professor Hannah McGlade with the Commissioners have also met with Western Australian Premier Roger Cook and Police Minister Paul Papalia to highlight the report and youth justice issues, including the need for a national and also state taskforce into youth justice.
Research to bolster the cause
ECU Associate Professor Jocelyn Jones was recently awarded a $360,000 grant from Australia's National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety Limited (ANROWS).
As a Vice-Chancellor's Associate Professorial Research Fellow at Kurongkurl Katitjin's Maladjiny Research Centre, Associate Professor Jones will lead the project "Learning from the stories of young Aboriginal men and adolescents convicted of domestic, family and sexual violence" which is part of the ANROWS 2023–2027 Research Program.
It focuses on understanding and addressing the behaviours of those who perpetrate domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV).
Associate Professor Jones said the research is crucial for breaking the cycle of violence by providing young Aboriginal men and adolescents with the opportunity to heal from past violence and address their own harmful behaviours.
The findings will inform health and other interventions in WA, with wider implications for national and other state and territory jurisdictions.
