Whether they are guilty of car theft, home invasion or shoplifting, every child who appears before Sue Duncombe at the New South Wales youth Koori court has their sentence deferred. The child will be given an opportunity to show the court what happens when – often for the first time in their lives – they are given support, which can include rehabilitation, cultural engagement, education, and healthcare.
Duncombe rejects any suggestion this approach is soft on crime. 'These are the children of people who themselves are traumatized,' the magistrate says. 'It is the kind of trauma that can be genetic. It is the kind of trauma that occurs as a result of disadvantage, of stolen generations, of racism and, perhaps, out of the use of drugs and alcohol to mask the trauma.'
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