From Spain to SA: Reimagining our broken youth justice system
A smart approach to crime is one that addresses the underlying drivers, instead of reinforcing them and perpetuating a cycle of harm, writes Dr Mindy Sotiri.
Walk into most youth detention centres in Australia and you’ll immediately be confronted by heavy doors, an intense security protocol and a bleak institutional environment.
Many who spend time in these spaces describe leaving with a sense of hopelessness – shaped by systems that prioritise control and punishment over connection and support.
Across the world, inside the Diagrama youth justice centres in Spain, the contrast is striking. Visitors walk into a welcoming and warm environment. Staff and children don’t wear uniforms. There is laughter, connection and very human interactions. There is no barbed wire. The staff are deeply engaged with the work of supporting young people. The atmosphere is home-like; children and young people make lunch, are assisted with their studies, and find and engage in meaningful work.
There is no doubt that it is detention (because the children cannot leave without permission), but it doesn’t feel like a prison.
In Spain, the Diagrama model is built around rehabilitation, reintegration and the belief that with the right supports and tools and opportunities, children can and do thrive.
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In Australia, youth detention is still largely shaped by a punitive legacy – one that too often deepens disadvantage and fails to interrupt cycles of incarceration.
The outcomes reflect this difference. Spain has now reduced its recidivism rates to around 15 per cent, compared to historical levels of around 85 per cent. The model has also been implemented across France and the United Kingdom, and the costs are comparable or lower compared to more punitive models.
In Australia, the number of children held in detention has risen dramatically, with four in five young people in detention on an average day unsentenced – meaning they are being held on remand or pre‑court, not serving a sentence. Our youth detention spending has surged by almost $400 million in just five years and more than doubled over the past decade.
More children in prison and bigger spending on those prisons do not translate to improved community safety. Around 85 per cent of children released from detention in Australia return to sentenced supervision within 12 months.
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This week in Adelaide, leaders from Spain as well as Scotland, Hawaii and New York – jurisdictions which have similarly taken a different approach on youth justice – will join Australians with lived experience of the criminal justice system, First Nations experts, researchers and local leaders to explore what works to reduce incarceration and why Australia continues to lag behind, at the Reintegration Puzzle Conference.
The conference comes at a critical moment, as some state and territory governments double down on “tough on crime” responses that risk sending more children into custody.
Yet prisons do not make our communities safer. They do not prevent reoffending. And for many – particularly children and young people – they compound trauma and entrench disadvantage.
Children who come into contact with the justice system have already faced many hurdles in their lives: precarious living arrangements, including homelessness or placements in out-of-home care, drug and alcohol dependency, mental health issues and other disabilities.
At the heart of the Reintegration Puzzle Conference is a simple, evidence-based truth: people are far less likely to return to prison when they have what they need to live well in the community – stable housing, healthcare, education, employment and connection.
This is borne out internationally. In Spain, Diagrama centres are deliberately and thoughtfully designed to educate, rehabilitate and integrate young people back into society, with security playing a supporting role rather than defining the experience. Staff are primarily educators and therapeutic professionals, and the focus is on building skills, relationships and personal responsibility. Diagrama has supported day leave embedded in its program, so young people begin connecting with life on the outside as far ahead of release as possible. Young people living in the centres describe feeling understood, supported and challenged to take the next step in their lives in a way that contributes meaningfully to society.
This isn’t about being ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ on crime. These centres work with young people who have committed serious offences, often in the context of profound disadvantage. But instead of reinforcing cycles of harm, they actively disrupt them – creating safer outcomes not just for young people, but for the broader community.
Australia has an opportunity to learn from this. We need to base our policies on the evidence of what actually works to reduce crime and make communities safer, learning from both overseas and leading Australian work, rather than failed “tough on crime” rhetoric. We need to invest in strong bail support, diversion and community‑based programs – particularly First Nations‑led programs – that tackle the reasons children come into contact with the system in the first place. We should, whenever possible, ensure that children are supported in the community, but on those occasions where there is the need for secure detainment, we would do well to learn from models like Diagrama.
A smart approach to crime is one that addresses the underlying drivers, instead of reinforcing them and perpetuating a cycle of harm. We have seen what works. The question now is whether our policymakers are prepared to act on it and build systems that truly keep our communities safe.
Dr Mindy Sotiri is the Executive Director of the Justice Reform Initiative which is hosting the Reintegration Puzzle Conference in Adelaide this week.
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