Free Rides Could Cut Youth Crime-Report

Started by Bus 400, July 28, 2009, 09:03:46 PM

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Bus 400

Quote from: Daily Telegraph
Free rides could cut youth crime - report

From: AAP  July 28, 2009 8:08PM
VICTORIA should consider making public transport free for under-18s to reduce the number of juveniles facing court charged with minor offences such as fare evasion, a parliamentary report says.
The committee report found many young people, including the homeless and disadvantaged, wind up in the courts because they cannot pay fines.
Some have multiple fines for fare evasion and other "add-on'' transit offences, such as offensive behaviour or resisting police.
If they are dragged through the courts for multiple "petty'' offences, they risk entrenching themselves in the system, the report says.
"This ... can lead these youth further into the criminal justice system through both exposure to the court system and the effects of criminalisation and stigmatisation,'' it says.
The report recommends the Department of Transport undertake a feasibility study into providing free public transport for minors to break the cycle of compounding petty crime.
The recommendation was part of an inquiry into strategies to prevent high-volume offending by young people.
The report, by the parliamentary drugs and crime prevention committee, was tabled in the Victorian parliament on Tuesday.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/free-rides-could-cut-youth-crime-report/story-e6freuyi-1225755684395

Trolleybusracer

Get Fucked, Why should we give the little vandals that Cover the sides of our train in "art" be given free travel?

Irisbus Rider

That's just brilliant, They're getting fined for having no tickets, so just give them free travel! Stupidity!

Sir Pompously

Just sounds like a way to reduce their crime rates by giving them something for free, therefore they are doing nothing wrong. It is the wrong way to look at it. As soon as kids get free fares, then so should adults. It is only fare ;) (Except if it is for travel to and from school, SSTS I can understand). If they don't have any money to travel, then they should stay at home or roam the streets in their den in Narre Warren.