SAY 'NO' TO RAISING AGE OF YOUTH JUSTICE - PETITION LAUNCHED
28th October 2016

Sensible Sentencing Trust have started a petition calling for parliament to say 'NO' to raising the age of the youth justice system
The petition has come about after a youth advocacy organization called for the age of youth justice to be raised to 21.
Youth advocate for Sensible Sentencing trust Jess McVicar says it's a terrifying thought for victims and the wider public if the current age is increased.
"The current youth justice system was introduced in 1989 and since then there has been a huge increase in crime".

" Does this not cry out that something is not right with the system of youth justice at present? That the family conferences and various other alternatives in the youth justice system are not effective?"
"If the age is increased to 21 it means that offenders under that age will not have a criminal record, their names and crimes committed will not be known to public - putting our communities at risk and the offenders will be able to roam and offend with complete anonymity."

Lobby group Just Speak had originally called for the youth justice age to be increased to 18 but have changed their minds and now want it to be 21.

Jess says “I actually meet with Just Speak to get their thoughts on the change and to understand where they were coming from; they have said they will eventually call for the age to be 25!

"I walked away from the meeting thinking they are not considering the victim at all, they are using some academic research to promote an ideology all about protecting the offender"

Just Speak have justified their stance by saying it will keep youth out of prison but Jess says that prison is presently reserved for recidivist offenders.

" Just because someone goes through the adult system does not mean they will go to prison, in fact very few do, the typical inmate has somewhere between 7-15 prior offenses, so raising the age of the youth justice system is not going to change the numbers in our prisons. It's is only going to extend the number of offenders with no record or punishment."

Jess says the Police do not have the resources or numbers to deal with the current level of youth crime.

"A recent study by the Police Association showed 73% of police were against the proposal to raise the age with some suggesting the idea was driven by pressure to keep crime statistics down with others saying things could go very badly for Police and other youth agencies."

"At present it seems the proposal to increase the age of youth justice is being driven by an ideology with out any consultation with those who are responsible for dealing with the offenders and protecting the public from them."

“Rather than simply shifting the goal posts let's introduce a fully transparent youth justice system that holds young offenders and their parents/caregivers fully accountable for their actions instead of letting them think they can get away with it until they are 21!” ENDS

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