The Queensland Family and Child Commission's report into youth crime is important reading.
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The report called Changing the Sentence: Overseeing Queensland's youth justice reforms was two years in the making and chose Brisbane, Townsville and Mount Isa as case studies.
I spoke to Commissioner Natalie Lewis who was in Mount Isa last week talking about the report with groups who participated in its making.
Commissioner Lewis's message was stark.
She said we need to stop looking to the police and justice system to solve the problem.
"Locking 'em up" might be a sugar hit but it doesn't solve the problem and six months down the track we are back at square one.
Commissioner Lewis said we needed to address the rights and wellbeing of young people rather than defaulting to a criminal justice response.
"Police and courts can't address housing issues, they can't eliminate poverty, they can't address home safety or other indicators of safety," she said.
"We keep looking to the wrong parts of the system to provide answers. We have to recognise that with the young people that are the most high risk, their risk is not about the risk of offending, the risk is to their safety and their wellbeing."
Commissioner Lewis said those risks were due to homelessness and family and domestic violence.
"If we don't address those inequities we are going to be continually on this merry-go-round," she said.
While the report had no formal recommendations it sets out findings and suggestions to guide future investment decisions and future directions within the youth justice system.
There are plenty of services for vulnerable young people in Mount Isa, however, many services are activity-based. High risk or repeat offenders need specialist help to address the offending behaviour, including treatment of poor health, trauma or family dynamics where that has contributed to the behaviour.
It also noted competition between providers for limited funds damages relationships between organisations that need to work together.