The proclamation of the Young Offenders Amendment Act on 1 January 2005 provided the court with the option of imposing curfews for juvenile offenders in the community.
Curfews and electronic monitoring have been used in WA with adult offenders on parole or on bail, but have had limited application with juveniles offenders. Curfews are valuable in helping to break the impact of peer offending, the cycle of drug use and offending and other behaviours that contribute to juvenile re-offending.
Electronic monitoring can be used as an option with juvenile curfews in the metropolitan area and some regional areas. Curfews improve compliance of young offenders on conditional release orders, which are the most serious order before detention and those on juvenile supervised release orders (juvenile parole) who are being released to the community after detention.
Juveniles on conditional release orders or supervised release orders may be placed on curfews at times when their offending behaviour usually occurs, for example, on Friday and Saturday nights. They may be electronically monitored, with any breach of the curfew immediately being relayed to the Department.
Killara Youth Support Service in Victoria Park has expanded to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation. The extended service allows Killara support staff to monitor curfew conditions after hours and to provide a prompt response to alerts. They are able to both monitor and support young people and their families in complying with any curfew conditions.
