The Principal Youth Court Judge says there is a clear lack of targeted gender-specific support for young female offenders, and he wants action.
Judge John Walker says many young female offenders end up using drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medication to escape the pain. Photo: Supplied
Kōtiro (girls) make up roughly 30 percent of young offenders who end up in the youth court, and often come from a background of violence and sexual abuse.
Judge John Walker said many end up using drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medication to escape the pain.
But despite the obvious need, there were few, if any, targeted support services for young female offenders.
"We know that women's pathways into criminal offending often [are] very different to that of males, and so the way out has to also be different," Judge Walker said.
Judge Walker said he questioned how something like mixed-gender group therapy, often used for drug and alcohol treatment, would work for girls, especially if they had been abused by men.
The relatively small number of female young offenders were spread right throughout Aotearoa, which meant it was hard to establish female-specific services in any one location.
But research had shown the answer could lie in individualised home-based, family focused interventions.
"With positive female relationships and I suppose that gives some hope that you don't need to be setting up intervention programmes as such that might involve a number of people attending a course," Judge Walker said.
A leading child and adolescent psychologist, Hinemoa Elder, said young female offenders had huge potential, but the lack of targeted interventions could be a barrier to reaching it.
Those interventions were not just about gender, they were cultural as well.
"We all see these kōtiro, the Māori ones in particular, I see the majority of them, and we see them as descendants," Dr Elder said.
"They have whakapapa, they're part of those lines that flow through them.
"Often they have never had an opportunity to really access those cultural resources that we know will help them to feel better about their situation and help them to grow and reach their potential."
Dr Elder said calls for action stretched back a long time, and she could not understand why nothing had been done earlier.
Children's Commissioner Frances Eivers said she would like to see more community-based services, led by iwi, hapū, or a local organisation.
Children's Commissioner Frances Eivers Photo: Supplied
"Each community is different. What is wonderful about it being a community-based programme is that they know their people and can provide the support," Judge Eivers said.
"But it has to be very much catered for female offenders because their needs are different from young male offenders."
Kōtiro going through the system were very intelligent, and blossomed when the right support was put around them, she said.
Support could include attending confidence building courses, and ensuring they were kept in education, she said.
