The Queensland’s Opposition’s announcement to hold young people accountable for their full criminal history during sentencing will not fix the problem of youth crime, Queensland Law Society (QLS) President Rebecca Fogerty says.
“The answer does not lie in harsher policies or penalties, but rather leadership to address the root causes of youth crime.
“Judging young people on their full criminal history ignores the work that has been done to reduce recidivism through diversionary programs and the use of cautions, which has shown to be effective in reducing reoffending.”
Recommending that a young person’s criminal history carry over into adulthood will not make Queenslanders safer and may further entrench young people in the criminal justice system.
“There is already scope to seek to put a young person’s criminal history before court on application where it is relevant,” President Fogerty said.
“The whole idea of confidentiality behind youth justice proceedings is because it facilitates rehabilitation. The statistics are clear - the vast majority of young people who come before court have made a mistake and deserve a second chance.
“The restorative justice process and diversionary programs have always been confidential. If this is changed, it could become a potential barrier for young people participating in the restorative justice process, thereby impacting the rehabilitative benefits these programs have.”
Queensland Law Society strongly supports measures that will actually work to make the community safer, such as the recommendations from the National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollonds report Help way earlier! – how Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing.
“QLS calls on all parties in the upcoming election to not treat children and young people as a political football, but rather focus on a whole-of-system approach to address this complex problem,” President Fogerty said.