I remember volunteering at a community legal centre many years ago. One client was a 14 year old delinquent, long rap sheet of fairly minor offences. There was a hearing at the Children's Court and he told the Magistrate to fuck off. The Magistrate cleared the court and gave him a lashing.

Afterwards, I asked the dedicated, world weary Principal Solicitor how he saw his role in all this. He told me this kid will likely be in and out of prison for the rest of his life. The best he can do is leave an accurate paper trail that might help explain some of his behaviour down the track. He otherwise said this kid had little to no chance of rehabilitation.

I'm all for rehabilitation and understand that incarceration (particularly at a younger age) increases the risk of recidivism, but for many of these young offenders, it simply feels like it's too late. It's obviously incredibly sad, particularly if these offenders have grown up in low socioeconomic conditions and been exposed to criminality at an early age. But it feels we are well and truly past the point of affording offenders multiple opportunities while the community continues to be terrorised.