Children, Young Persons, and their Families (Youth Courts Jurisdiction and Orders) Amendment Bill

The New Zealand Drug Foundation supports the intention of the bill to acknowledge the multiple needs of youth offenders and their families and whanau by both extending the jurisdiction of the youth court and strengthening and expanding the orders available to youth courts in order to provide  more effective treatment and rehabilitation services.

However, it is our considered opinion that the orders contained within the expanded orders are not supported by best practice and evidence, or on the twenty plus years experience that the addiction treatment sector has developed when supporting young people with their with criminality and addiction issues. We provide some suggestions how the Bill can be strengthened to give better effect to its purpose.

Factors contributing to youth offending and drug abuse and dependence harms are considerably complex.  While this bill identifies drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation, mentoring and parenting programs as important, these only form a part of the context of the problems, and we need a comprehensive package of solutions to address youth offending.