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Australian children have few legal rights and in the context of youth justice, community safety tends to be prioritised over the best interests and wellbeing of children. "Tough on crime" approaches to youth justice law and policy have been influenced by penal populism, whilst the voices of practitioners who work with young people who commit offences remain largely ignored. We interviewed 92 practitioners who work in criminal law settings in a low socioeconomic area in Queensland, Australia, to ascertain their views on the effectiveness of criminal law interventions in their community. Practitioners recognised the need to ensure the safety of the community when dealing with the offending behaviour of children, but they felt that current criminal law responses do not achieve this goal. Instead, they were in favour of interventions that prioritised children's wellbeing so that the causes of their offending behaviour were addressed. Whilst they did not use rights-based language, their suggestions for reform were consistent with the protection of children's fundamental rights as recognised by international law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to examine the linkage between implementing the rights of children, as described in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and preventing youth crime. Using Canada as a case study and comparing jurisdictions in Canada where youth crime rates are relatively low and high, the article concludes that efforts at crime prevention are more successful where child and family policies in support of children's rights are stronger. What this illustrates is the importance of implementing children's rights as means of preventing crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]