8. Youth Crime—MeasurementDARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister of JusticeYouth Crime—Measurement8. DARROCH BALL (NZ First) to the Minister of Justice: Does she stand by all her statements?Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister of Justice): Yes in the context that they were given.Darroch Ball: How does the Government measure the youth crime rate" as described in her statement that the youth crime rate has dropped by 38 percent?Hon AMY ADAMS: That member has asked me a very similar question in a written question and we have gone back to him with the evidence that supports the measures underlying the Better Public Services target. We stand by our statement that the youth crime rate has dropped 38 percent since 2011 and more than 60 percent since 2007-08.Darroch Ball: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked how the Government measured it not what the rates were.Mr SPEAKER: I listened to the question and I listened to the answer and on this occasion I am going to invite the member to re-ask the question.Darroch Ball: How does the Government measure the "youth crime rate" as described in her statement that the youth crime rate has dropped by 38 percent?Hon AMY ADAMS: The Government has a number of measures of youth offending from police statistics to Youth Court appearances to youth reoffending rates. There are a number of measures we use that inform the youth crime information.Darroch Ball: Is the Minister aware that the National Government measures youth crime not by the number of youth offences or arrests but instead by "the number of first appearances in [a] court"?Hon AMY ADAMS: As I said we use a number of measures and the number of appearances in the Youth Court is one of those measures.Darroch Ball: I seek leave to table a document that states that youth crime is measured only—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I just need the source of the document.Darroch Ball: It is the Minister's own website.Mr SPEAKER: If the member wants to continue to play with the House like that he is likely not to get any more supplementary questions.Darroch Ball: Is the Minister satisfied that currently youth are committing multiple crimes and being dealt with outside of court on multiple occasions before their first court appearance is ever recorded as part of this Government's youth crime rate?Hon AMY ADAMS: The practice of using alternative actions than simply taking every young person putting them in court and convicting them has been the process in New Zealand for many years. It is a process that is heralded around the world and it is part of the reason we have been successful in reducing not only the youth crime rate but the crime rate of young people as they graduate into the adult system. So yes I am very well aware that not every commission of an offence ends up charged in the Youth Court. That has been the practice for many years.Darroch Ball: How can the Minister be satisfied that the youth crime rate is accurately measured when 75 percent of youth who actually commit a crime do not even appear in court and are therefore not included in her crime rate at all?Hon AMY ADAMS: That is exactly the point. We want young people to be dealt with in the way that is most likely to ensure they do not reoffend and actually everything tells us that the system is far more effective at reducing future offending far more effective at stopping youth graduating to becoming long-term criminals and far more effective at keeping New Zealanders safe.Darroch Ball: How can this Government consider extending the youth justice system to include 17-year-olds when the Minister knows that 50 percent of youth who are dealt with by an alternative action reoffend within 12 months that more than half of the current adult prison population has been convicted in the Youth Court and that 80 percent of all youth convicted in the Youth Court reoffend within 2 years demonstrably showing that the youth justice system is failing?Hon AMY ADAMS: I simply do not accept that. The evidence is quite clear that the youth justice system is far more effective at reducing reoffending. We are not saying that every young person who appears in the youth justice system will not reoffend; we are saying that it is a very effective way. In terms of extending it those decisions have not been made. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is little point Mr Ball in continuing to ask supplementary questions and then continuing to interject right through the answers."