Rethinking crime and punishment, especially with regard to youth, is a priority for South Africa; a country with high crime rates, recidivism and an overburdened criminal justice system. The present punitive and retributive system often only exacerbates many underlying causes of crime and violence, especially in young people. The failure of the present system suggests that the time is right for a paradigm shift in society's response to crime and punishment. A challenge to implementing any alternative justice model is to ensure that it does not continue to prop up the under-resourced, overburdened and dysfunctional criminal justice system it seeks to reform. The current systemic crisis demands radical reform, not merely adopting a few well-meaning tweaks to a broken system. This article argues that the system and its various forms (including residential options but with an emphasis on community-owned interventions) need to be both trauma-informed and infused with an ethos of restorative justice. We articulate our explanations with youth as the focus and make proposals in light of this and suggest a path towards implementation.

中文翻译：

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朝着转变系统的方向：重新考虑青年（及以后）的监禁

重新考虑犯罪和惩罚，特别是对青年的犯罪和惩罚，是南非的优先事项；一个犯罪率高，累犯和刑事司法系统负担过重的国家。当前的惩罚和报应制度通常只会加剧犯罪和暴力的许多根本原因，特别是在年轻人中。当前系统的失败表明，是时候对社会对犯罪和惩罚的反应进行模式转变了。实施任何其他司法模式的一个挑战是确保它不再继续支持其寻求改革的资源贫乏，负担过重和功能失调的刑事司法系统。当前的系统性危机要求进行彻底的改革，而不仅仅是对破裂的系统进行一些有益的调整。本文认为，该系统及其各种形式（包括居住权选择，但强调社区拥有的干预措施）既需要了解创伤信息，又需要注入恢复性司法的精神。我们以青年为重点阐明我们的解释，并据此提出建议，并提出实施的道路。