Program a lifeline for youth

FOR the 17- year- olds locked up with adult criminals at Stuart Prison, a visit from Townsville Stronger Communities could be the last chance to turn their lives around.

The action group has been working with the eight offenders still locked up and two who have recently left, giving them options and preparing them for life out of prison.

Program co- ordinator Inspector Glenn Doyle said they were seeing changes in the young offenders.

“I think the surprising thing for me and the group is how keen they are to engage, but also how the families have come on board. It’s very encouraging,” he said.

“The families want to be involved and want better outcomes for their kids. It’s good from our perspective that they do want to be engaged.”

Insp Doyle said the two young offenders who were out of jail were “heading in the right direction” after becoming entrenched in the justice system from a young age.

“The two who are out are going as well as can be expected, they haven’t reoffended,” he said.

“We did have a third who came out and she did reoffend. She is back inside, but we haven’t cut her loose.

“It’s a program that shows these guys some good signs and hopefully we can get some success stories out of it. We don’t expect overnight successes. It’s about working with them through their issues.

“A lot of these kids have been on that conveyor belt from child protection to juvenile offending and unfortunately continued on that path and ended up in the adult prison.

“It’s exactly the type of cycle we are trying to break.”

Insp Doyle said Stronger Communities had brought new services to the prison to work with younger offenders to give them options for when they would be released.

“It’s about giving these guys options,” he said.

“They are unfortunately ingrained in the system and they need to know there are other options for their lives.”