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oung offenders in Victoria are being confronted with the real world consequences of violence through a hospital based intervention that places them face to face with the aftermath of serious injury and trauma.
The Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth, known as the PARTY Intervention Program, is delivered through Royal Melbourne Hospital in partnership with Youth Junction and the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria. Designed for people aged between 16 and 25, the initiative gives participants guided access to trauma wards and intensive care units, where they observe the medical and personal consequences linked to violent incidents and road trauma.
Participants follow the journey of trauma patients from emergency admission through treatment and recovery, hearing directly from medical staff, survivors and families affected by serious injuries. The aim is to encourage reflection by showing how a single decision can carry lasting effects for victims, families and offenders themselves.
Magistrates may refer eligible young offenders to the program prior to sentencing. After completing the sessions, participants submit written reflections outlining what they have learned and how the experience has influenced their understanding of their actions. According to program organisers, around 90 per cent of participants do not reoffend following attendance, a figure cited by supporters as evidence of its impact.
Magistrates may refer eligible young offenders to the program prior to sentencing. After completing the sessions, participants submit written reflections outlining what they have learned and how the experience has influenced their understanding of their actions
More than 2,000 young people have completed the program to date, with most referrals coming from courts serving Melbourne’s western and northern suburbs, including Sunshine, Werribee and Broadmeadows. The initiative remains the only program of its type operating in Australia focused specifically on youth exposure to real hospital trauma settings as a behavioural intervention.
The program sits within the broader youth justice and community safety agenda of the Victorian Government, which has recently introduced tougher sentencing settings under its Adult Time for Violent Crime policy. Government representatives argue that enforcement measures should operate alongside prevention and education efforts aimed at reducing repeat offending.
Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny said the program encourages offenders to reconsider their choices by confronting the human cost of violence. She pointed to reoffending rates among participants as an indication that early intervention programs can contribute to community safety.
The initiative has also entered the political debate, with the government criticising opposition calls made last year to discontinue similar early intervention programs. Critics of government messaging, however, caution that long term outcomes depend on continued evaluation and broader social support systems beyond individual programs.
Youth justice specialists generally agree that exposure based interventions can influence behaviour when combined with mentoring, education and follow up support. Whether programs like PARTY expand further may depend on funding priorities and ongoing evidence showing sustained reductions in reoffending.
As discussions around youth crime continue across Victoria, the program offers a different approach to deterrence, relying less on punishment alone and more on confronting young offenders with the realities that often remain unseen behind crime statistics.
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