On this page

  • About the program
  • Funded projects
  • Program evaluation
  • Useful resources
  • Koori Youth Crime Prevention Program
  • Assistance

About the program

The Youth Crime Prevention Program is part of the Victorian Government’s response to addressing offending behaviour by young people aged between 10-24 years who have had contact with or have demonstrated risk of being involved with the criminal justice system.

The program has provided more than 1800 young people with intensive case management support and engaged more than 3000 young people in pro-social activities.

The program invests in priority areas that have higher levels of crime, higher proportions of recidivist youth offenders and socio-economic disadvantage. It aims to reduce offending behaviour and recidivism among project participants by:

  • decreasing known crime-related risk factors and increasing protective factors
  • linking them to sustained employment, training and education opportunities
  • increasing their connectedness with the community.

Projects are also expected to develop or bring together strong, effective partnerships among community organisations and government agencies involved in the initiatives.

Funded projects

Since 2016 the Victorian Government has invested over $40 million for the Youth Crime Prevention Program, which includes $13.64 million in the 2023-24 State Budget. This further investment means that the Victorian Government can continue to deliver on its Crime Prevention Strategy by tackling the causes of youth offending and partnering with communities and key organisations to create safer, more connected Victorian communities.

The program applies a place-based approach, delivered in metropolitan and regional locations throughout Victoria with higher rates of youth offending, with a published evaluation showing a 29 per cent reduction in offending, and a 24 per cent reduction in severity of offending for participants. 

Funded communities include:

  • Ballarat
  • Bendigo
  • Brimbank
  • Casey
  • East Gippsland
  • Frankston
  • Greater Dandenong
  • Greater Geelong
  • Horsham
  • Hume
  • Latrobe
  • Melton
  • Shepparton
  • Wyndham.

Program evaluation

The program was independently evaluated by the Crime Statistics Agency to contribute to the evidence base around youth crime prevention. A 4-year evaluation of the program published in 2022 showed that after participants completed the program:

  • The incidence of their offending dropped by 29 per cent.
  • Their offending significantly reduced in severity, with ‘high seriousness’ offences down 24 per cent, including sizeable reductions in offences like break and enter, burglary, property damage and assault.
  • Reductions in offending were seen across ages, genders, program approaches and almost all sites.
  • Common offences reduced in volume including theft (31 per cent), burglary, break and enter (59 per cent), property damage (46 per cent). Assault and related offences were also down 21 per cent.

Read the evaluation report.

Useful resources

Additional resources about the program and youth crime prevention can be found below:

Koori Youth Crime Prevention Program

Aboriginal communities must be at the centre of efforts to address over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in the justice system. The Koori Youth Crime Prevention Program (KYCPP) was overseen by the Department’s Koori Justice Unit and coordinated by 9 Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committees. Twenty-five projects were funded through the KYCPP over a 2-year period from 2016.

Many of the current YCPP services work closely with Aboriginal cultural and community service organisations to ensure Aboriginal young people are able to access the supports they need through the program.

Read the evaluation report of the KYCPP 3 crime prevention grant programs under the 2018-2023 Aboriginal Justice Agreement, including the Koori Youth Crime Prevention Grants Program.

Assistance

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Justice Grants by email: communitycrimeprevention@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)

I want to