The problem of teenagers drinking excessively and then endangering themselves by engaging in activities such as unsafe sex, fighting and brawls and other criminal activity and misconduct has become a serious issue, in NSW and throughout Oz. There has also been a marked increase in the rate of girls jailed or under community-based supervision over the past 10 years in NSW, new national data shows which has been linked to alcohol.
According to NSW Justice Minister Greg Smith, drugs and alcohol are to blame for this increase and abuse of these substances in particular needs to be dealt with. It was revealed in a recent Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report that there has been a 70 per cent increase in the number of underage girls being held in detention centres for some or the other reason.
Read what an article on Smh.com.au explains about the spike:
”It is believed the rise in the rate of young female offenders under supervision by Juvenile Justice NSW can be attributed to a number of factors including drug and alcohol abuse and a rise in the number of serious crimes committed by young female offenders,” a spokeswoman for Mr Smith said.
The head of the AIHW’s child welfare and prisoner health unit, Tim Beard, said it is too early to tell what is driving the trend among female 10- to 17-year-olds because the numbers were still small.
”This is really fascinating. It [the rate] has come down in the past year, but if you look at the longer term trend it has actually gone up,” Mr Beard said.
In 2000-01, the number of female juveniles under supervision in NSW on an average day was 5.2 per 10,000, representing 193 detainees, increasing to 9.1 per 10,000 in 2011-12 (329), according to the AIHW report, Youth justice in Australia 2011-12: An overview, released on April 30. Supervision refers to community-based and detention orders.
The data obtained is backed up research done by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research which indicates a 33 per cent increase in the number of underage female offenders in the last decade leading up to June 2009.
According to statistics the rate of female juvenile offenders under supervision has increased slightly in Victoria and has increased more dramatically in Tasmania. The rate has dropped in the ACT, Queensland and South Australia.
Facts such as these make it more evident as to why responsible service of alcohol is so important. RSA staff are often the only thing standing between minors and alcohol which makes their job even more important.
It is vital the RSA staff such as bartenders, waitrons and licenced venue employees refuse alcohol to anyone who looks underage and anyone who is not able to produce an ID proving their age, especially if they look under the age of 25. Parents too play an important role and should teach their children the dangers of drinking too young and excessive consumption.