In 2005, the State Government pledged $24 million to build two new juvenile remand centres in Geraldton and Kalgoorlie-Boulder as part of its commitment to improve the State's youth justice system.
Corrective Services began development of the remand centres project with input from community reference groups in Geraldton and Kalgoorlie-Boulder, local residents and Aboriginal community members in the Mid-West, Gascoyne and Goldfields regions.
Community feedback raised concerns about whether the proposed juvenile remand centres would adequately address local youth offending issues. Also, research by the Department indicated programs that address the causes of youth offending offer wider and longer-term benefits to the local community than custody.
In late 2006, the Minister for Corrective Services announced the Department would broaden the scope of the project and asked the community reference groups to provide input on a number of successful Department of Corrective Services' youth justice programs operating in the Perth metropolitan area.
After careful consideration, the community reference groups advised the Minister they supported a proposal to adapt the metropolitan services for Geraldton and Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and potentially other centres in the region, instead of developing remand centres.
The Mid West Gascoyne Youth Justice Services are already operating in Geraldton, with the Kalgoorlie-Boulder service to commence in the coming months.
Services, which will be similar across the two centres:
- an extended-hours family support service for youth at risk of offending and those who commit minor offences
- an extended-hours bail service to help police locate suitable adults to provide bail for youths who are eligible to be released from the lock-up
- emergency short-stay accommodation for youths who have been granted bail but have no-one to bail them and nowhere to go
- an expanded juvenile justice team office to target youths in the early stages of offending and divert them from the formal justice system
- an intensive supervision program for serious and/or repeat young offenders and their families
- psychological support.
Where applicable, these services will be rolled-out to other centres in these regions in the future.
Last Updated: 8-Oct-2008
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