In fact, we are sending the wrong message with denunciation. We are sending the message that it will have an effect. Professor Bala explained this clearly, and I won't repeat his comments earlier about the impact of deterrence and denunciation. So the idea is that the belief that denunciation has effects has no basis. Imposing a harsh sentence will not deter other young people from committing offences.
We think the existing law allows the court to impose a sentence that is entirely harsh enough, and this allows for denunciation. Denunciation takes place in the exercise of determining a sentence that is proportionate to the crime and that takes into account the risk factors associated with the young person. Beyond that, it is punishment.
We think a young person is a developing individual who can change their behaviour, and we are telling you that denunciation serves no purpose. This is the wrong message to send, because it give the public the impression that they are better protected, when they are protected only by a variety of measures, ranging from prevention to the right measure applied to the right young person.
That is why we say that focusing on serious crimes and situations is the wrong track, because the seriousness of the offence is not necessarily a predictor of the risk of the young person re-offending. These beliefs have no basis. In our experience on the ground, we know that this has no impact on young people who commit crimes on impulse, who give in to the magical thinking that they will not get caught. That is what a lot of adults do too, you will say. But it is more the case for young people.
All these measures will never produce the expected results. Rather, targeted, individualized intervention with the young person, based on the factors that characterize their situation, will protect the public in the long term, rather than considering the offence they have committed. We can neutralize the offender for a period of time. But beyond short-term neutralization, our aim is to ensure that they will not commit more crimes when they get out. That has to be done by imposing a sentence, not that denounces, but that genuinely targets the risk factors associated with that young person.