The recently appointed Liberal National party campaigned heavily on a policy they entitled, “Adult crime, Adult time”.
There is no definition of “adult crime” because there is no such thing as “adult crime”. Put simply though, the tough on crime policy focuses on serious crimes impacting victims including:
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- Serious harm like wounding
- Home and business break-ins and robbery
- Stealing cars and dangerous operation of vehicles.
The policy adds to the LNP’s previously announced changes to the Youth Justice Act which is set to be rolled out before 2025, including, removing “detention as a last resort”, and enshrining in legislation the rights of victims ahead of offenders’ rights.
In manipulating the issue of crime to garner votes, there are a myriad of issues ignored by the LNP’s policy, such as:
Developmental of youth:
- Research consistently shows the adolescent brain not being fully developed until around 25 years of age, particularly areas responsible for impulse control, planning and judgment.
- Young people have greater capacity for rehabilitation and behavioural change, compared with adults.
- Youth are more susceptible to peer pressure and less likely to consider long-term consequences.
Reaction to adult treatment:
- Studies show juveniles dealt with in adult courts/treated as adults have higher recidivism rates than those kept in youth systems.
- Young people in adult prisons face higher risks of:
- Physical and sexual abuse
- Mental health problems
- Suicide attempts
- Learning criminal behaviours from adult offenders
Proven Alternatives:
- Rehabilitation-focused youth justice programs show better outcomes
- Successful approaches often include:
- Family involvement
- Further and better education
- Mental health intervention and support
- Skills development
- Restorative justice practices
Economic Considerations:
- Prevention and rehabilitation programs cost less than incarceration
- Better outcomes from youth-focused approaches reduce long-term costs to society
- Adult imprisonment can disrupt education and employment prospects, increasing lifetime welfare costs – which is to the communities detriment
A Global Perspective:
- Many developed nations have higher ages of criminal responsibility than Australia
- Countries with more rehabilitative approaches (like Norway and Germany) generally show better recidivism outcomes than here.
Whilst it goes without saying, there is currently an issue with (particularly violent) youth crime in Queensland and it is clear intervention is required.
However, statistics show the rate of the recidivist “problem” youth offenders is small and to respond with this type of harsh policy is short sighted will be detrimental to the community in the long-term.
The LNP, on its own website, acknowledges that youth crime has risen as the number of police officers has diminished. Yet, there appears no acknowledgement in the policy that policing numbers will be addressed.
Unfortunately, it leads to the conclusion that perhaps the stricter, almost draconian laws, are simply a “band-aid” to cover the lack of police.
Recently, there has been widespread concern over a proposal from some “only fans” content providers to attend schoolies and film explicit content with the 17/18 year old school leavers.
The concern has been this proposal is a ‘manipulation’ of the young men who are being ‘targeted’ by these older women.
It is striking that whilst many in Queensland are advocating for treating children as young as 14 years as criminal adults, the same people are expressing concerns for the manipulation of 17/18 year olds, as if they are too young and immature to be making their own free choices about their own bodies.
The justice system may not be perfect, but too frequently there are those with no meaningful experience as to what it entails and the complexities of dealing with matters and how to evaluate appropriate punishments for individuals.
Locking kids up and treating children as adults within the justice system is highly likely to cause more damage to society than it solves.