In an opinion piece, the Commissioner argues that punitive, populist tough on crime approaches to the harmful behaviour of children might make for good media, but they do not make Tasmanian communities safer. Labelling children as “teen crooks” or “youth gangs” and signalling a need for a “baby thug blitz” is unhelpful, harmful and shows blatant disregard for the rights of children and our obligation as adults to care for them and to support their development.
