Ballina Mayor highlights need to fund juvenile crime diversion programs

Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader and a core group of councillors and community representatives moved their peaceful community gathering aimed at putting pressure on the justice system to take more action on juvenile crime from Ballina to Lismore court today. 

The case they were highlighting, of a recent home break-in at Lennox Head in which a family was allegedly terrorised with knives, was moved from Ballina to Lismore Court and Cr Cadwallader told The Echo that they moved the gathering as the case had been moved to Lismore Court. 

‘It is not about getting the juveniles incarcerated,’ she told The Echo. ‘My question is why aren’t the magistrates mandating community diversionary programs? Maybe they should be mandated into diversionary programs under the law?’

Cr Cadwallader said that something had to change as the impacts of break and enters, burglaries and theft were having significant impacts on the community. 

‘It can’t just just be seeing to the protection of properties and people. The mental health issues of the break and enter and home invasions are significant,’ she said. 

‘Each of these unfortunates, who have hard upbringings, we need to teach them how to enjoy life. Get them into jobs. They have never had that experience, support, or boundaries in their home environment.

‘We know that the police PCYC programs are very effective, Backtrack has been very effective and Northtrack very promising,’ she explained. 

‘But once again they are relying on volunteers and grant funding to run these programs. Early intervention is where the resources need to be going. 

‘I spoke to some Aboriginal people who were at the courthouse today and they agreed with me that we need more programs, we need them sent into diversionary programs. Building more jails is not the answer. They need to be mandated to go into a diversionary programs why aren’t they doing it?’