30 May 2007

Tongan youth project gets positive response

1:36 pm on 30 May 2007

A New Zealand academic says there has been a positive response to a new youth diversion project in Tonga.

Dr Gabrielle Maxwell of Victoria University's Institute of Policy Studies says they had been asked by Tonga's Justice Minister before last year's riots to assess whether Tonga could establish youth justice laws similar to the New Zealand model of restorative justice.

Dr Maxwell says, following the riots, they were asked to put in place diversionary options for youth as quickly as possible, and several dozen youths have met with a diversionary panel and discussed options for repairing the harm they had done.

She says the Tongan community is supportive of the concept.

"All the people that we have been able to interview and talk to since then seem to be enthusiastic about this. They didn't want to see these kids going to prison, having something around their neck, on their record, for the rest of their life over something they were caught up rather agents planning some nefarious doings."

Gabrielle Maxwell