Youth Justice Residence 'not where we want our children'

Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence opening in 2010. Photo/File

Every year more than 100 youths between 13 and 17 are sentenced to time in a youth justice facility - Rotorua Daily Post Reporter Alice Guy takes a look beyond the gates at Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence to see how they are helping our most vulnerable.

The young man who greets us is polite, he shakes my hand and is proud to show us his bedroom – small, dimly lit, it feels more like a prison cell.

The bed is neatly made, the stainless steel toilet clean, and on the walls hang letters from a mother, apologising for never being there.

The boys are allowed to decorate their rooms, most of them have black and white print outs of wrestlers and half naked women, typical teenagers.

They will stay at the facility for an average of 40 nights, costing New Zealand about $1000 per day.

Nestled among farm land, about 12km South of Rotorua the Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence is the temporary home to 30 male youth who are among New Zealand's most "serious and persistent offenders".

General manager for New Zealand's Youth Justice Residences Ben Hannifin acknowledged a Youth Justice Residence was not where we want our children to be.

"We do a good job here, and we will do a better job, but we are still disconnecting them from their community by being here."

Across New Zealand there are about 13,000 youth apprehensions per year, committed by roughly 7000-8000 offenders.

Hannifin said while these were kids that had done bad things, they were not bad kids.

"In almost every measure of wellness they score badly, whether it's physical health, mental health, trauma or educational achievement, any measure you wish to use, our boys will be challenged on it.

"If you have mental health concerns, you're tapping into alcohol or drugs, then it's a really bad mix of pressures and drives."

Access to mental health services are an important part of the boys stay in the residence.

Hannifin said their offending was couldn't be stopped through punishment or labelling them criminals.

But in lots of areas Te Maioha does feel like a prison. Each door can only open one at a time and we have to pass through a series of small rooms, always having to lock behind us before we can carry on.

Te Maioha o Parekarangi manager Christine Betchetti said a youth justice residence was a very artificial world.

"Everything is provided here, we tell them what to do, each day is structured."

She said they ask the boys what their dreams and aspirations are and how they can help them achieve that and their answers were the same as any teenager.

She wanted every one of the young people to succeed.

"We want them to go on to have successful lives, whatever that means for them and live in a community where they feel like they belong and they are thriving."

Hannifin said their aim was to make the youth realise they had potential to be something different and were going to have the support to obtain that.

"Suddenly empathy becomes an easier conversation to have, because you've got something to lose, because you now know what you want."

When I ask them what their biggest challenge is Hannifin tells me "eventually the boys will go home".

"It's teenagers being exposed to all those pressures again and expecting them to act differently, that's not going to work."