Children belong with their families and communities, not behind bars.
Youth Support Advocacy Service is disappointed that the Allan’s Government has renounced its decision to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
Last year, the Government committed to raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 by the end of this year, and to 14 by 2027. This decision was celebrated by First Nations experts, advocates, justice organisations, and service providers as a great first step to address the overrepresentation of Victoria’s most marginalised children in the criminal justice system.
YSAS has first-hand knowledge of how being locked away disrupts children’s development and has a devastating impact on their future.
Evidence shows that the younger a child is imprisoned, the higher their risk of becoming entrenched in the criminal justice system later in life.
We know that children involved in the justice system have often been exposed to extreme adversity, involving violence and trauma.
The answer to youth crime is a justice system that responds to this adversity, it is never putting more children in jail.
These children need and deserve wrap-around supports to stop them from coming into contact with the justice system in the first place.
We continue to call for the Government to pass a Youth Justice Bill that is as strong as possible and to advocate for investment in early intervention to ensure fewer children spend their childhoods in and out of the criminal justice system. We continue to be guided by First Nations experts and support yesterday’s statement from the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.