Case Explained: North East legal aid service share concerns for new youth crime laws – Legal Perspective

North East legal experts continue to advocate against the state government’s new legislation tackling youth crime following the rollout of the laws last month.

The “adult time for violent crime” reform package is now in effect across the state, with children as young as 14 to receive sentences in adult courts for serious crimes.

Adult courts put more emphasis on community safety and victims and have much longer maximum jail terms.

Offenders aged 14-17 can now face up to 25 years in prison for offences like aggravated home invasion and carjacking.

The maximum length of a jail sentence that can be imposed in the Children’s Court is three years – for any offence.

Local legal services are broadly against this approach to tacking youth crime since they were announced in November last year, including Victoria Legal Aid (VLA).

VLA said placing 14-year-olds in front of adult courts and suggesting they could face life in prison for some offences is not only deeply troubling, it is ineffective.

VLA Wodonga regional manager Susie Crowe said the reform marked a significant and concerning shift in the youth justice system.

“Children are not adults and there are good reasons to treat them differently,” she said.

“The more time a young person spends in jail, the more likely they are to return.

“Subjecting children to the adult justice system entrenches this outcome.”

According to state government data, 97 per cent of adults who are sentenced for aggravated home invasion or carjacking go to jail, while 34 per cent of children sentenced for the same crime were imprisoned.

Premier Jacinta Allan said there were no easy solutions to youth crime, and the best approach was to always stop crime before it starts.

“But we absolutely need serious consequences for violent youth crime to protect the community now,” she said.