‘Adult time for violent crime’ laws coming for kids
Under the state government’s plan to combat youth crime, children who commit serious crimes will be punished as adults.
Victoria will adopt “adult statute of limitations for violent crimes” laws in 2024, similar to Queensland, which has implemented the tough approach.
Under proposed changes that the prime minister will announce on Wednesday, children as young as 14 could be tried in adult courts and possibly face life imprisonment.
“We are introducing Adult Time for violent crimes,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said in a social media post.
Mel Walker, former head of criminal law at the Law Institute of Victoria, described the changes to youth sentencing as “extraordinary, bad policy and counterintuitive”.
“Are we as a society comfortable with dealing with children in this way, and are we prepared for the consequences how many years into the future when they are so deeply affected by adult custody?” he told ABC radio Melbourne.
Ms Walker said the majority of children coming to the courts had experienced domestic violence, had been subjected to violence themselves, or had been managed by child protection services with little or no family support.
“Many of these kids have a real desire to belong, and that motivates their participation,” he said.
“But they don’t have this capacity for results-oriented thinking because, clearly and legitimately, their brains are underdeveloped.”
Opposition leader Brad Battin said the premier had no credibility and Victorians could not trust him to deliver on his promises.
“Today’s announcement is the first in the pursuit of yet another headline with no plan to follow up and deliver,” he said.
Victoria has been plagued by rising crime rates, with burglaries, break-ins and youth repeat offending set to rise by 15.7 per cent in the year to mid-2025.
Nearly 1,100 young people aged 10 to 17 were arrested a total of 7,000 times, according to the latest crime statistics, as Victoria Police say children are rapidly turning to extreme violence.
Queensland introduced tougher “adult crime, adult time” in response to a 17-year-old fatally stabbing mother Emma Lovell in a Boxing Day 2022 home invasion.
The legislation allows young offenders to serve mandatory life sentences for serious crimes such as murder, with a minimum of 20 years before parole.
The Victorian announcement comes after the state government backed down on plans to ban face coverings at protests.
Ms Allan had previously signaled a blanket bank for face masks and balaclavas at protests, but on Tuesday said police could order masks to be removed if they suspected a protester had committed or was about to commit a crime.
