Seven of those who participated in the Government’s military style boot camp for young offenders reoffended to a threshold that required their return to a residence during the 12-month pilot, Oranga Tamariki (OT) revealed today.
And currently, two of them are in a youth justice facility and one in prison.
Today marks the end of the 12-month pilot, introduced by the Government after the 2023 election as an attempt to reduce youth offending and turn the lives of young offenders around.
It involved a group of young men participating in physical education and drills during a three-month residency phase, followed by a nine-month community phase with intensive support.
Eight participants completed the programme, one was withdrawn from the pilot and placed in Corrections’ custody, and another died in a vehicle accident.
Twelve-month pilot introduced by the Government after the 2023 election as an attempt to reduce youth offending. (Source: 1News)
Following its conclusion, Oranga Tamariki revealed that during the 12-month pilot, “7 of the participants reoffended to a threshold that required them to return to residence for a time”.
1News understands some of the reoffending is particularly violent in nature including assault, car jacking, and robbery
Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive of youth justice services, Iain Chapman, said the organisation knew that reoffending would occur “given these young people were selected for the pilot because they were identified as some of New Zealand’s most serious and persistent young offenders”.
“We knew that wasn’t something we could change overnight, but what we wanted to be able to see was that reducing, and we genuinely believe we have.”
He said that of those who reoffended, the crimes were “less serious” and they went longer without committing any.
Children’s Minister Karen Chhour said zero reoffending was “never going to be realistic” but said the pilot aimed to provide support and opportunities for the young men to “make better choices”.
There were also positive changes for the participants, Chapman said. Two had made their way back into sport, with one selected for a regional team. “Many” of the group also worked while in the programme, across sectors like hospitality and labouring.
He said the majority of participants took opportunities presented to them across the programme and “applied themselves with a real desire to make a change to their old patterns of behaviour”.
Chapman said these were “steps on the right path that have arisen as a direct outcome of their participation in the pilot”.
He said the boys were able to access dental and medical care while participating in the pilot, which aimed to improve their overall well-being. He said the majority of the group’s parents had remained engaged with a support service.
Chhour said that on its closure, the feedback had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“The families of these young people have expressed great appreciation for the support they have been provided, such as accessing stable housing and parenting support services.
“Most importantly, many of the young people involved in the pilot have taken this opportunity to turn their lives around and are showing real promise.”
She believed the Government was tracking towards its goal of a 15% reduction in the number of young people with serious and persistent offending behaviour.
“Communities are becoming safer, young people who lacked hope and direction are finding it,” she said.
Oranga Tamariki, other agencies, and community providers would continue to work with the eight who finished the programme.
A final evaluation of the pilot was being prepared and was expected to be completed later this year.
‘A complete failure’ – Labour
Labour’s children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said the number of participants reoffending showed the pilot had been “a complete failure”.
“Christopher Luxon was warned his boot camps wouldn’t work, but went ahead with them anyway,” she said.
“After ignoring decades of evidence and countless warnings from experts, he is letting young people, their whānau, and communities pay the price.”
She called on the Government to scrap the camps altogether.
“We need clear answers on why the Government is still pressing ahead with its Bill to enshrine boot camps into law, given it’s now obvious that they don’t work.”
She called it a “failed experiment” that showed how “out of touch” the Prime Minister was.
