Media Release

Law Society concern at changes to Age of Criminal Responsibility

 

The Law Society Northern Territory (Society) is deeply concerned at moves by the newly elected Northern Territory Government to wind back the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years.

The Society’s President Richard Henschke said “This comes at a time when the other Australian jurisdictions are considering policy reforms which will raise the age. As such the Society strongly urges the Government to reconsider this step.

Criminalising the behaviour of children as young as 10 years old by subjecting them to the Youth Justice System including incarceration is unacceptable and has been proven not to have any positive outcomes either for the child or the community generally.”

Instead the Society suggests that the Northern Territory Government should be considering reforms to the Youth Justice System as recommended in the recently released National Children’s Commissioner’s report Help way earlier!” How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing which strongly advocates for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 14 years.

The Society urges the new Territory Government to work towards policy solutions that keep children as young as 10 years out of the Youth Justice System and out of detention and imprisonment.

 

END OF RELEASE

 

Richard Henschke

President