The vastly belated announcement by Victoria’s Labor Government of strengthened bail laws is welcomed. The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc. (CAA) warned ten years ago that Victoria would face a juvenile crime tsunami. We were ignored. Consequently, the number of victims of crime, and particularly of crimes of violence by juveniles has reached totally unacceptable levels.
The changes to bail laws and reintroduction of offences for criminal acts committed while on bail is a necessary move.
These steps are a government reaction to community pressure.
However, the real solution to juvenile crime can only come from the immediate introduction of proactive measures.
Every school must be required to immediately introduce a code of conduct for students. The standards of behaviour required must be clearly articulated and enforced.
A primary function of the school curriculum must be teaching the basics of good citizenship.
The CAA can provide the structure of a program, based on ten themes, which would make a real and lasting difference to the future behaviour of most students. This program should be delivered by police in schools. This format was very successful in Victoria from 1989 to 2006 as evidenced by a study by Monash University released in 2004.
We call on the Government to immediately take the next essential proactive step and reintroduce the Police in Schools Program. The CAA is willing to assist.
100% agree. Schools need to step up and start teaching the proper basics again. Stop with this woke rubbish and just teach real life skills and manners
Teaching children good citizenship also gives them a sense of belonging and power so not likely to be adopted by the quislings in our institutions and government in these times. We also have an epidemic of children with poor mental health because of the sick woke agenda being pumped into their brains from pre-school sadly.
There is a consistent theme prevailing…
There are only loose rules and structures and very little or negligible consequences for not adhering to or violating these rules from kindergarten to Year 12!
This only reinforces the concepts of “interpretation” and subjectivity.
It’s not just Ivy League, prestigious American college professors, who reinforce dogmas like: “it depends on the context”.
Although we have moved on from the days of “black and white” with some flexibility and rational, practical judgement now applied, we have veered too far to the wishy-washy and uncertain point where so many “other” factors seem to prevail over right versus wrong, such as the perpetrator’s background, race, religion, socio-economic status etc. to “mitigate” their actions and often result in zero penalties or consequences.
This then reinforces the propensity towards “escalation” when zero consequences are applied, even in the face of clear, unequivocal and undisputable evidence!
Welcome to Victoria!