| The Northern Territory Police Juvenile Diversions Unit supports the Juvenile Pre-court Diversion Scheme.
The Scheme, the result of a formal agreement between the Northern Territory and Commonwealth Government signed in 2000, includes a commitment of Commonwealth funding of $5,000,000 for the Juvenile Pre-court Diversion Scheme.
'The aim of the Juvenile Pre-court Diversion Scheme is to divert juveniles away from the formal justice system and the courts. The scheme provides that the courts will only be used where offences committed are of a more serious nature or where other diversion options have been tried and failed.
Goals of the scheme are:
- to provide and maintain an effective alternative to the prosecution and sentencing of young offenders in the formal justice system
- to encourage young offenders to be responsible members of the community by providing opportunities for positive behavioural change and improvement in life skills, through diversion activities
- to develop relationships and working partnerships between police, government and community organisations, to ensure a holistic approach to addressing the issues of youth in the communities' (Waite, August 2003).
'The principles of the scheme are:
-to treat young people fairly
-to support and involve victims
-to take account of the impact on the victim
-to encourage parental responsibility
-to foster closer police and community interaction
-to foster positive social change.
The diversion scheme provides for different types of responses to juvenile offending.
These include:
-verbal and written warnings
-family conferences/formal cautions
-victim-offender conferencing
conditions
-formal or informal community-based programs (including life skills and alcohol, drug and substance abuse programs)' (Waite, August 2003). | |
