Youth bail law reform is in the spotlight again, but this retiring judge says it's not the answer

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Amid a growing political stoush over bail laws and youth crime in the Northern Territory, a retiring Supreme Court judge says the debate is missing the mark.

Acting Justice Hiley said there was a real need for more supported bail accommodation or "safe houses" for young people on remand, so they could avoid mixing with convicted offenders."I think what they tend to forget is, at the end of the day, the judges really make a decision about whether or not a person should have bail," Acting Justice Hiley said.

These principles include whether a person is a flight risk, whether they are likely to reoffend and the potential danger to the community and victims. "They're really hard [cases] — especially with kids, you've really got to try and rehabilitate them as much as you can," he said.In the Northern Territory, judges are made to retire at age 72.

The judge used an example of a man charged with assault who was likely to get about three months in prison if convicted, but faced at least double that period if he was placed on remand to await his trial.

 

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The answer lies in the systems because all systems create all that is criminal.

Prison is no longer about rehabilitation, it obviously does not work👎 It's all about keeping undesirables of the streets to keep the public & their stuff safe👍 So it makes sense to make bail harder to get. Not to mention most of these youth re-offend while on bail anyway. 👎

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