Residential Bail Support Program and Services
My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Small Business, on behalf of the Minister for Juvenile Justice:
1.Is the Minister aware that an alarming number of children and young people in NSW are being held on remand in the State’s Juvenile Justice Centres?
2.Is the Minister aware that the consequences of a high remand rate include:
-Unnecessary detention increases the challenges that children and young people face and potentially creates social problems;
-The high incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is damaging Indigenous communities;
-Allegations of overcrowding and increased assaults in Juvenile Justice Centres throughout NSW have a serious impact of both staff and young people?
1.In particular, is the Minister aware that many young people remanded into custody are either homeless or in need of care when charged with a criminal offence?
2.Given that time in a Juvenile Justice Centre is the most significant factor in recidivism, will the NSW Government fund a comprehensive program of residential bail support services across the State to prevent children and young people who are granted bail from being remanded into custody remand due to a lack of accommodation options?