One night in detention can change a life – but so can one supportive adult. In Wagga, 54 reasons is showing up for young people when and where they need us, offering connection, care and a different path forward.
Too often across Australia, children as young as ten are being refused bail by police,only to be granted bail at their first court appearance – often the very next day. In fact, these short-term remand cases account for nearly half the children in detention across Australia, despite only 6% of them ever going on to receive full-time custodial sentences.
That’s a significant number of young people experiencing unnecessary short-term remand.
And while an overnight detention may seem like a brief encounter with the justice system, these are often deeply destabilising experiences with consequences that can last a lifetime – only adding to existing trauma, feelings of disconnection, and discrimination. Research tells us what common sense already suggests: even one night in detention can increase a child or young person’s risk of future involvement with the justice system.
The Short-term Remand Pilot (STRP), delivered by 54 reasons is working to reduce the number of young people – especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people – caught in avoidable short-term remand through targeted, culturally relevant outreach and services:
“We have created an outreach program that runs in two locations once a week and operates like an after-school program,” says Patrick Sagigi, STRP Team Leader. “We give young people some activities to engage in to keep them busy and physically active, like a game of footy or basketball.
“We make sure we provide some sort of a feed for the children, and some of them have told us that they come specifically because they know that’s available to them. That shows you that some of these kids are coming from homes where their basic needs are not necessarily being met.
“We provide one-to-one mentoring and coaching, and there’s also a chill-out corner where kids have the chance to chat to supportive adults. When certain issues are raised, we refer cases to our family support workers who go in and look at the family dynamics and the environment these young people are living in. And we chat with the families to see what kinds of support we can offer to help these young people find a better path.
“We also have outreach programs that operate in schools, where we work with students who are at high risk of making some compromising choices, and we help them stay motivated to stay in school and get their education. We talk to them about their issues, open the room up for discussion, and also do a lot of physical activities with them."
We make sure we provide some sort of a feed for the children, and some of them have told us that they come specifically because they know that’s available to them. That shows you that some of these kids are coming from homes where their basic needs are not necessarily being met.
Many young people caught in the short term remand cycle are navigating really complex lives. They might be experiencing homelessness, disengagement from school and community, family violence, disadvantage, systemic racism and/or mental health challenges.
“It’s hard – there is a lot of intergenerational trauma which can stand in the way,” says Patrick. “The community connection is essential. A lot of us play Rugby Leage and lots of people come to watch us play. Just recently we met a young person at a game who had already found himself in trouble with the police, and he was lacking some adult guidance, so we let him know that if he kept going on the same path, he’d be looking at more jail, and we pointed out some other avenues and options for him.
“The next week, I called his house to do a check-in, and his mum said ‘sorry, he won’t be home until after 5pm because he’s at work’. She was grateful that someone from outside the family could have that conversation with him. And I couldn’t help but feel proud of him. I’m hopeful he’ll continue on his new path.”
These kinds of changes are possible because STRP is built on respect and ensuring children are supported – not punished – in moments of crisis.
“What happens in those first hours after arrest can change everything,” says Patrick. “And having compassion for a young person in trouble can make a world of difference. I was raised in communities like this, and I believe in change.”
Funded through the National Partnership Agreement for Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, the Short Term Remand Pilot is early intervention at its most urgent, and most hopeful.
54 reasons acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which we work, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their lore, and to their Elders past, present and emerging.
54 reasons is a proudly inclusive organisation and an ally of the LGBTIQ+ community.
