Psychology of Crime

The background to the topic of your assignment is:

On Thursday 8 December 2022, Director generals and representatives from 10 Western Australian government departments met in Halls Creek, Western Australia (WA), for a closed-door crisis meeting to discuss a sharp increase in youth crime ‘ravaging’ the town.

Following the meeting, it was announced that additional WA Police resources and a new youth social hub may be potential solutions to the youth crime issue.

One issue said to contribute to the sharp increase in youth crime relates to residential overcrowding.

With a recent sharp increase in youth crime in Alice Springs, Northern Territory (NT), the Prime Minister, and other key stakeholders recently descended on the town for an urgent meeting.

The lifting of alcohol restrictions across the NT has been flagged as one critical issue connected with the recent sharp increase in youth crime in that town.

With this background in mind, identify and critically discuss relevant issues concerning youth crime in northern Western Australian towns.

To do this, you will need to identify and discuss:

• Relevant policy issues with regards to youth crime in WA, including the misuse of alcohol and illicit substances
• Relevant health issues that youth may face with current policies, and
• Relevant justice and social issues.

Finally, you will need to argue (with evidence), your position in relation to challenging youth crime in northern WA towns.