The Australian Northern Territory (NT) will soon allow children as young as 10 to be jailed again after overturning the previous government’s decision to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12. BBCThe new Country Liberal Party (CLP) government, elected in August, said the change was necessary to reduce youth crime rates. It argued that returning the age to 10 would ultimately protect children, even though doctors, human rights organizations and indigenous groups have refuted this argument.
according to BBCThe Australian Northern Territory already jails children at a rate 11 times higher than any other jurisdiction in the country. Critics have said that this new law will not reduce crime, but will disproportionately impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
However, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government was given the mandate following her landslide election victory, and that the change would allow the courts to place young offenders through programs designed to address the root causes of their crimes. Will allow – which, according to statistics, are the most common crimes of vandalism and assault.
“We have an obligation to this child who has been let down in so many ways for a long time,” Ms Finocchiaro said in parliament on Thursday. “And we have (an obligation) to those people who just want to be safe, those people who don’t want to live in fear anymore,” he said.
In addition, the NT has also tightened bail rules and introduced penalties for “posting and boasting” about a crime on social media. “We make no apologies for meeting our commitments to reduce crime for all areas,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
Read this also Company hacked after accidentally hiring North Korean cybercriminal for remote job
However, opposition leader Selena Uibo called it a “black day” for the region. “We know – because all the evidence tells us – that the sooner a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the longer his or her involvement is likely to last,” he said.
“We want to hold kids accountable for bad behavior and then help them get on a better path,” Ms Uibo said.
Specifically, the change will come into effect at a later date that is yet to be confirmed. Only the Australian Capital Territory has raised the age of criminal responsibility above 10. Victoria has passed legislation to do this, which will come into effect next year. The Tasmanian Government has also said it will raise the age to 14 by 2029.
