Ever wonder where bad behaviour might lead you? Wonder what it would feel like to be completely vulnerable within a community, fighting for equality and a second chance?

Sussie Walker, a counsellor within the violent offender department in the Juvenile Justice System, deals with these fears on a daily basis working with girls as young as 11, who find themselves within the juvenile system due to severe violent crimes.

What is your primary role within Juniperina Juvenile Justice?
I am a counsellor in the community. I supervise up to twenty kids on community-based orders handed to them by the court. Previous to this role I worked with young women in custody for seven years at Yasmar and Juniperina.

Can you run us through your day to day routine?
My day to day routine is basically centered on seeing kids. Whether it is at Fairfield community office or day to day visits to the home, I help them work on their program which ultimately strives to avoid re- offending. I help them deal with school, dynamics within the home and just assist them with their day to day problems. Because I am a counsellor, I can counsel them on a variety of things from anger management to how to manage their aggression, managing their relationships or whatever is needed.

Whilst you deal with a large group of troubled youths on a daily basis, can you identify any trends in their attitudes or backgrounds that led them to this point?
Everyone has kind of asked this question and its one of those questions that is quite illusive. The best way to describe it is; some of our clients have had some difficult life experiences that they are not able to cope with. They in turn have difficulty managing their emotions as a way of solving it. Some of our kids actually come from families where the social values are actually ok and they just need help in appreciating that. Some of them have a lot of trouble with school within their learning and/or behaviour.

And… Probably the most common theme tends to be in the company of negative peers. It is hard to say whether you get a good kid who is dragged into a bad crowd or troubled kids who just find each other. Part of it is also teenagers finding their sense of self, their identity, trying to be individual and they are going to listen to their peers before there parents. These are the kids that are not around positive people who can teach them pro social ways to communicate and interact with the world.

We have just done a major campaign on role models, do you think not having an outlet for complete support or a role model is what can damage a child's ability to progress?
It is not the sole factor but it can definitely contribute to making the situation worse. In many ways, I work with a lot of kids who find it hard to communicate with their families and they just don't have anyone they feel they can turn to for help or guidance. It is important to have someone outside the home or peer group to talk to and sometimes someone neutral can make a real difference.

With out going into too much detail of course, what crimes are these youths generally being punished for?
The minimum age for juvenile justice is 10, so I have worked with girls as young as 11. Young people can be charged with a broad range of offences, up to the most serious being murder. I work in detention and we generally deal with the more extreme end, usually ones who are more violent and who have usually who have committed assault related offences.

I understand that initiatives based on re offences are proven more successful and effective when practiced within the community, why is that?
When in custody you are placed in a very artificial environment. Whilst the good thing about custody, and I have spent many years working there, is that they implement the kids into structure, routine and have very clear rewards and consequences for their behaviour, it can also be hard for a kid to transition their development from custody to their day to day lives. So, working within the home and developing safe and functional conditions allows the kids to continue the program create change more effectively. That way too, all of the services within the community that they are linked to in the program are accessible when she is withdrawn from it and needs some help.

How do you separate your emotions from your work?
You don't come into the industry unless you care. You really need to have a passion for kids, and my passion is really young women because I believe they can offer more. They are in a sense a lot richer to work with. I have a mindset that in order to be able to work effectively with these kids you have to engage them and you have to develop the trusting relationship that forms. In saying that it is equally important to always maintain your professional boundaries. I know I have been successful when I eventually walk away and they can still function. If I get too close and they get too dependant on me then the minute I walk out they just fall apart. I then have done this kid no service at all.

It does break my heart when I see one of my kids in my program fall apart, but then I know I have to be there with them, pick them up and help them move on. That can be anything from taking drugs, falling out of a school or even lying to you because they don't want to tell you what kind of mischief they have been up to.

What is most important to you when it comes to your job?
If you can improve any quality of life for these kids it is worth it. I don't know that people often appreciate how much privilege we have within our society. Simple things like unconditional love in the family, a supportive partner, role models that will encourage and support us along the way, and abuse free environment. We have this way of living that we just expect will always be there so sometimes when some kids don't have that it's hard for them to find help.

What are some of the major issues relating to teens that you see in society today that you would like to change?
That's a hard one because it is hard to generalise the teenage demographic. Ultimately I think we just need to support our youth. I think for the kids that are a little bit different, we need to embrace what they offer and not punish them for it. You see kids that come from a certain cultural heritage that get targeted and you see kids that have different abilities that get treated with minimal respect because they may not fit into the mould, which is a real shame.

One thing I couldn't change but I would like to see change is that I wish we didn't force too much maturity on kids at such young age. I don't think they are emotionally able to cope with some of the pressures being placed on them. These pressures often make them more prone to maladaptive situations like offending, promiscuity and drug use. I just think kids need to be kids for as long as they need to be.

What would be your main piece of advice to those who attribute so much blame to teenagers?
When you witness someone acting different, don't just ignore them, consider it as a cry for help.