Let's change the sentence
The Diagrama Way
"From isolation to inclusion"
"From 'no' to 'yes'"
The Diagrama Model transforms youth detention from a punitive experience into a holistic journey of education, healing, and growth. By addressing the root causes of offending behavior and providing comprehensive support, it achieves dramatically lower recidivism rates and better outcomes for young people, their families, and communities.
In Australia...
Australia's youth justice system is caught in a cycle of ineffectiveness and inequity. High recidivism rates of 80-90% indicate a failure to rehabilitate young offenders, while the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth - who are 17 times more likely to be detained - points to deep-rooted systemic biases. The current approach, focusing on punishment rather than rehabilitation, is not only failing young people but also imposing a significant financial burden on society, with detention costs reaching $1,750 per day per youth.
The low age of criminal responsibility (10 years) funnels vulnerable children into the justice system early, while the high proportion of youth on remand (63%) suggests a system that detains first and questions later. These factors, combined with inadequate educational and mental health support in detention, create a perfect storm that perpetuates cycles of offending rather than breaking them. The ripple effects extend beyond the justice system, impacting families, communities, and the broader social fabric.
By centring the experiences and needs of young people, their families, and communities, we can design a system that prioritises rehabilitation, education, and reintegration. The Diagrama model, with its holistic approach and proven success in reducing recidivism, offers a blueprint for such redesign. By prototyping and iterating on this model within the Australian context, we have the potential to create a youth justice system that truly serves its intended purpose: transforming young lives and enhancing community safety.