Andrew Little: Raising youth offending age has financial benefits

Justice Minister Andrew Little at Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence and the Te Kohanga Remand Home in Rotorua. Photo / Stephen Parker

Teenagers in Rotorua's youth justice residence support raising the youth offending age to 17, saying it will give young offenders "more of a chance" to change their ways.

Their comments were made during Justice Minister Andrew Little and Children's Minister Tracey Martin's visit to Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence and Te Kohanga Remand Home in Rotorua today.

The Oranga Tamariki Act definition of youth in the justice system is changing to include 17-year-olds from July 1.

Raising the age would see a rise in about 40 per cent Police Youth Aid work, 1900 more Youth Court cases and nearly 2000 more Family Group Conferences.

Little said he was confident the increase in demand would be able to be handled and the court system, justice system and Oranaga Tamariki already had things in place.

Te Maioha o Parekarangi, established in 2010, is one of the four youth justice resident centres in New Zealand and can house up to 30 young people.

Oranga Tamariki operates nine residences and four community-based remand homes in New Zealand, with one of each in Rotorua.

An addition of 20 beds in each of the remand homes is expected to address the additional strain.

At $110,000 per prisoner per year, Little said he would prefer to see the money used to address the reasons for offending and prevent reoffending.

"I'd rather spend money the right way, the effective way, to save us the cost further down the track."

Little said a combination of addressing the offending, along with rehabilitation stepped away from previously just putting people in prison, which he said was not working.

Two current Te Maioha o Parekarangi residents, both 17, had been in the residence for less than a year and told the Rotorua Daily Post they fully supported raising the youth offending age.

Both agreed the rehabilitation programme would be better than prison.

"It makes you think different, to take a look at your actions," one said.

"You've got more of a chance," the other said.