Young people and crime

September 10, 1997
Issue 

Any which way you can: Youth livelihoods, community resources and crime
By Rob White, with Megan Aumair, Anita Harris and Liz McConnell
Australian Youth Foundation

Review by Marina Cameron

This study by Rob White, professor of Criminology at the University of Melbourne, is a timely one, given the continual cranking up of punitive "law and order" rhetoric by state and federal governments aimed at young people.

The study, based on interviews with young people and community workers, adds some interesting material to the view that the system is not providing for its newest generations in terms of work, adequate training, adequate income or personal fulfilment — and how the denial of these is directly linked to crime, for which young people are then victimised.

Brian Burdekin — former human rights commissioner, author of a report into homeless children in 1989 and chairperson of the AYF — writes in the foreword that when young people are "denied access to the formal economy and are dissatisfied with the community resources available as an alternative, some will seek to supplement their income 'any which way' they can".

The study paints a picture of young people increasingly locked into work or study, existing on below-poverty level income support if studying or unemployed, and having to stay reliant on their families for longer, adding to growing pressure and tension within families.

Those lucky enough to find work face low wages and poor conditions. In two samples of young people aged under 18 and aged 18-25, White found:

  • 37% of under 18s and 57% of 18-25s said that they were working, but of these only 3.3% and 15.3% respectively were working full time;

  • 60% of under 18s and 54% of 18-25s reported hours and work times that varied;

  • 10% of under 18s and 18% of 18-25s were asked to work for free on a trial basis; and

  • only 26 out of the 400 under 18s interviewed had had contact with a union.

The majority of those who worked were in the service or retail industries, where White collected reports of underpayment, overwork, unpaid work, lack of Workcover, employers sacking young people when government wage subsidies run out and sexist and racist discrimination, harassment and assault.

In addition, 58.3% of under 18s and 30% of 18-25s reported having worked in the informal sector, such as cash-in-hand work, where there are no rights or union controls and exploitation is high.

Around 80% reported doing unpaid work in the informal sector — in return for favours or in exchange for goods, but mostly work within the home, helping out struggling families with child-care and domestic labour.

There was also a generally high level of dissatisfaction with the resources made available to help unemployed young people. For instance, one quarter of under 18s had had contact with the Department of Social Security and 36.7% reported that they liked "nothing" about the DSS.

Two thirds of 18-25s reported having contact with DSS and 41.3% reported "nothing".

Similar levels of dissatisfaction were noted with the Commonwealth Employment Service, with only 2.2% of 18-25s saying that the thing they liked about the CES was the jobs.

White also uncovers some interesting material on the myths behind the youth crime "epidemic" claimed by governments and the media.

The study found that while young people are often stereotyped as delinquents on the streets, most young people spent the majority of their time at home. When they do go out, young people are provided few community spaces where they are welcome and so tend to "hang out" in public spaces, where they are visible in groups and immediately dubbed "gangs" if they fit the stereotype and skin colour.

Criminal activities were not as prevalent as general attitudes would indicate. Youth and community workers estimated that 4% of young people pursued crime as a major source of income, 1% as the main source of income and 33% as a supplementary source of income. While some cited the motivations of escaping from boredom, supporting a drug habit or just plain vandalism, the majority cited an economic motivation behind youth crime.

In his foreword, Burdekin mentions the "criminalisation" of young people, which will add to their feelings of "powerlessness and alienation". This is confirmed in the study, which found that 70% of young people interviewed reported having contact with the police.

The majority of under 18s reported bad experiences, while the majority of 18-25s reported better experiences. There were numerous reports of beatings, harassment, being falsely accused and racism or corruption. Young people also reported being hassled by security guards and transit police.

White speculates that a layer of permanently unemployed, permanently marginalised youth may be developing — the "lost generation".

Despite the fact that the government seems determined not to provide real solutions, they are easy to find when you listen to young people themselves. As one interviewee said:

"I think it's because Australia isn't listening to, well the government in particular aren't listening to, the youth of today's needs ... You know, create the jobs or sort of give them somewhere to hang out."

With lots of detail and quotes to give a real feeling of what young people are thinking, this publication is worth getting hold of.

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