Teuila Fuatai
The government’s military-style bootcamp programme for young offenders begins tomorrow, with a pilot group of 10 teenagers.
It’s reported that Māori make up nine of the 10 teens, who are aged between 15 and 17. The young people are being sent to Oranga Tamariki’s Palmerston North youth justice facility for three months. The government says their residency will be followed by community support.
Bootcamps for young offenders are not new in New Zealand. The first version of a three-month “short, sharp, shock” programme for young offenders took place in 1961. Since then, different governments have administered various forms of military-style bootcamps for youth, in the belief tough intervention will lead to reform. Extensive research on those efforts has shown no improvement in reoffending rates.
