Introduction by Croakey: Governments and politicians should be investing in community initiatives and addressing the social determinants of crime, and health, instead of focusing on “tough on crime” policies, according to two members of the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, Tabitha Lean and Debbie Kilroy.
Below, Lean and Kilroy say the focus of election campaigning in the Northern Territory and Queensland should shift from punitive measures to comprehensive strategies that “address the root causes of criminalisation and promote the wellbeing of children and communities”.
They also offer some detailed advice to journalists and media organisations about how to lift their game, with suggestions for potential articles and headlines.
The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls was established in 2020 to represent people who have been in prisons and to advocate for abolition of the prison industrial complex.
Tabitha Lean and Debbie Kilroy write:
Tough on youth crime policies are short sighted and nothing more than populist policies representing desperate grabs for political points in an election cycle, with our children being the political footballs.
How about we invest in our communities and keep kids in our communities and classrooms, and prioritise support over punishment?
The state often only shows interest in children’s young lives when it seeks to criminalise them, funnelling more and more money into law enforcement and incarceration rather than providing the necessary support and resources that families and children need from birth.
This approach does nothing more than uphold the colonial carceral state, and subject these children to more racial gendered violence.
The tough on crime propaganda, particularly concerning children, has significant health impacts, and these impacts can be both direct and indirect, affecting the physical and mental health of the children involved, as well as the broader community.
Physical health impacts
Increased risk of physical harm
Physical health impacts include increased risk of physical harm. Criminalised children who are subjected to harsh policing and carceral measures face an increased risk of physical harm.
This occurs during interactions with law enforcement, within children’s prisons, being subjected to state sanctioned sexual violence in the form of strip searching, suffering from torture practices (being spit hooded and placed in solitary).
Limited access to healthcare
When children are criminalised and imprisoned, they do not have access to the same medical care and support that they would outside of prison. The healthcare inside prison is substandard at best, placing their health and wellbeing in jeopardy.
Substance abuse
The tough on crime propaganda approach fails to address the underlying causes of substance use, such as social and economic factors, leading to increased health problems related to drug and alcohol use.
Mental health impacts
Psychological trauma
Harsh punitive measures and imprisonment can cause significant psychological trauma. Children may experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress due to the criminal punishment system’s ruthless enforcement of the “law”.
Stigmatisation and Alienation
Labelling children as criminals can lead to stigmatisation and social alienation, which negatively impacts their self-esteem and mental health.
Recently we witnessed the Queensland Liberal National Party label children as “untouchables”, which is a disgraceful and dehumanising act, particularly when many of these children have endured years of systemic abuse and neglect by the state.
This type of labelling can create a cycle where children feel alienated from the broader community.
Social and community health impacts
Family disruption
The incarceration and disappearance of children from our communities and homes disrupts family structures and dynamics, leading to stress and health issues for family members and the broader community. This can have a ripple effect, impacting the health and wellbeing of siblings and parents.
Community safety and cohesion
A focus on punitive measures rather than support and care can undermine community cohesion and safety. Communities experience increased tension and mistrust (and fear) of law enforcement, which can further reduce overall community health.
Long-term health consequences
Recriminalisation
Tough on crime populist policies fail to address the root causes of criminalisation of children. This means that children are likely to be recriminalised and face continued exposure to the criminal punishment system, perpetuating a cycle of poor health outcomes.
Economic and social disadvantage
Children who are criminalised may face long-term economic and social disadvantages, including difficulty finding employment and housing. These disadvantages can contribute to poorer health outcomes over their lifetime due to sustained stress and limited access to healthcare and other resources.
Queensland and Northern Territory context
In regions like Queensland and the Northern Territory, Indigenous children are disproportionately affected by tough on crime policies. This exacerbates existing health disparities and contributes to the ongoing cycle of disadvantage and poor health outcomes within Indigenous communities.
In remote areas, access to healthcare and support services is already limited. The criminalisation of children can strain these limited resources further, making it even more challenging to address the health needs of young people effectively.
Prison industrial complex
The prison industrial complex refers to the entire overlapping interests of state and industry that employ policing, surveillance, imprisonment and punishment as a means of controlling people.
There are many people that benefit from the prison industrial complex, including the politicians that win their election campaigns on their tough on crime election platforms and hold portfolios that manage prisons and policing and so-called corrective services.
The media who make their headlines from sensationalist and salacious crime reporting and “true” crime dramas also benefit. It is benefiting the child welfare workers who pipeline our kids in care into prisons.
Media framing
From an abolitionist perspective, the National Network advocate for the media to approach the reporting of ‘tough on youth/crime’ agendas with a critical eye.
The populist policies that politicians throw at their constituency every election cycle, are nothing more than lazy propaganda to win votes. These policies ignore the underlying social issues and fail to consider alternatives to punitive measures such transformative justice.
How should the media report the tough on youth/crime agendas?
Contextualise crime and social issues
- Highlight root causes – focus on the social, economic, and political factors contributing to the criminalisation of children, such as poverty, education, unemployment, systemic racism and colonialism. Provide context that explains why certain communities are more affected by crime.
- Humanise those involved – avoid dehumanising language and labels. Refer to the National Network Language Guide here.
Critique the tough on crime propaganda
- Examine effectiveness – critically assess whether tough on crime policies achieve their stated goals of reducing crime and increasing public safety. Present evidence and research showing the outcomes of these policies, particularly their long-term impacts.
- Highlight negative consequences – report on the adverse effects of tough on crime measures, including the physical and mental health impacts on children, the perpetuation of cycles of crime and disadvantage, and the broader social and community costs.
Amplify alternative perspectives
- Transformative justice – highlight successful examples of transformative justice practices that focus on community-based solutions. Provide case studies and interviews with experts and those directly affected by these practices.
- Community initiatives – showcase community-led initiatives and centre the voices of those who are formerly incarcerated. Emphasise the positive outcomes of these programs compared to punitive approaches.
Challenge stereotypes and biases
- Avoid sensationalism – refrain from sensationalising crime stories and using fear-based rhetoric. Focus on balanced reporting that provides a comprehensive view of the issues.
- Address bias – be aware of and actively challenge racial, economic, and other biases in crime reporting. Ensure diverse voices and perspectives are included, particularly those of marginalised communities most affected by these policies.
Promote advocacy and action
- Call for systemic change – use the platform to advocate for systemic changes that address the root causes of crime, such as reforms in education, healthcare, housing, and employment policies.
- Encourage public engagement – provide information on how the public can get involved in advocating for change, supporting transformative justice programs, and participating in community initiatives.
Example headlines and story angles
Headline: “Community-Led Initiatives Show Success in Reducing Crime Rates”
Angle: Focus on community programs that provide education, mentorship, and job opportunities, illustrating their positive impact on reducing crime.
Headline: “Experts Critique Tough on Crime Policies: Long-Term Solutions Needed”
Angle: Present expert opinions and research findings that question the efficacy of punitive measures and advocate for holistic, long-term solutions.
Headline: “Transformative Justice: A Path Forward ”
Angle: Share stories of communities that have benefited from transformative justice programs, detailing their experiences and outcomes.
By adopting these principles, the media can contribute to a more informed and compassionate public discourse about criminalisation, aligning with an abolitionist perspective that seeks to be transformative rather than merely punitive.
Comprehensive strategies
From an abolitionist perspective, election campaigning should shift its focus from punitive measures to comprehensive strategies that address the root causes of criminalisation and promote the wellbeing of children and communities.
Here are the key areas that election campaigns should address:
Address social determinants of crime
- Poverty reduction – implement policies aimed at reducing poverty, such as increasing minimum wages, providing social welfare support, and ensuring access to affordable housing.
- Education access – invest in education, including early childhood education, and ensure equitable access to quality schooling for all children, particularly in marginalised communities.
- Employment opportunities – create job training and employment opportunities for young people, especially in communities with high unemployment rates.
Investing in community resources
- Youth programs – fund and expand community-based youth programs that offer mentorship, recreational activities, and support services.
- Mental health services – increase access to mental health services, ensuring that young people can receive counselling, therapy, and support when needed.
- Substance use programs – provide comprehensive substance use prevention and treatment programs tailored to young people.
Promoting transformative justice
- Transformative justice programs – advocate for the implementation and expansion of transformative justice programs that focus on community healing rather than punishment.
- Care and support over incarceration – emphasise care and support for young people involved in the criminal punishment system, including educational and vocational training.
Strengthening family and community support
- Family support services – offer services that support families, such as parenting programs, family counselling, and financial assistance.
Ensuring equity and justice
- Racial justice – address systemic racism within the carceral system by working to eradicate policies that disproportionately affect marginalised communities.
Public health approach
- Health services access – ensure that all young people have access to comprehensive health services, including preventive care, sexual and reproductive health services, and nutrition programs.
- Trauma-informed care – promote trauma-informed care in all youth services, recognising and addressing the impact of adverse childhood experiences.
Youth participation in policy-making
- Youth voices – include young people in the policy-making process, ensuring their voices and experiences shape the programs and policies that affect them.
- Empowerment – Empower young people to take leadership roles in their communities and advocate for their rights and needs.
About the authors
Tabitha Lean is an activist, poet and storyteller. An abolition activist determined to disrupt the colonial project and abolish the prison industrial complex, she’s filled with rage, channelling every bit of that anger towards challenging the colonial carceral state. Having spent almost two years in Adelaide Women’s Prison, 18 months on Home Detention and three years on parole, Tabitha uses her lived prison experience to argue that the criminal punishment system is a brutal and too often deadly colonial frontier for her people. She believes that until we abolish the system and redefine community, health, safety and justice; her people will not be safe.
Debbie Kilroy OAM was first criminalised at the age of 13 and spent over two decades in and out of women’s and children’s prisons. Driven to end the criminalisation and imprisonment of girls and women, Debbie established Sisters Inside, as well as her law firm, Kilroy & Callaghan Lawyers. An unapologetic abolitionist, Debbie’s activism work centres on dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex and all forms of carceral control and exile. With a firm belief that there should be ‘nothing about us without us’, Debbie established the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls to centre the voices, experiences and aspirations of criminalisation and imprisonment women and girls in order to change the face of justice in this country.
See Croakey’s archive of articles on human rights.
