Terry O’Gorman in an interview with Channel 9 (https://www.9now.com.au/) yesterday described the latest LNP juvenile justice proposals as another example of the LNP incessantly beating the juvenile justice law and order drum.
The LNP yesterday announced a policy that a youth offender’s criminal history will carry over into adulthood.
Terry O’Gorman said the current law is that if a child appears in the Children’s Court presided over by a Magistrate or in the Children’s Court presided over by a District Court Judge, when a conviction is recorded it already carries over if that person reoffends as an adult.
Mr O’Gorman said that the additional proposal by the LNP that youth offenders will be judged on every police caution and restorative justice agreement will simply mean that lawyers will seriously consider telling their clients not to participate in such diversion schemes if they are to be used against them at a later time.
“The purpose of such diversion schemes is to steer juveniles away from further offending and it works in the overwhelming majority of cases”
Mr O’Gorman said that the LNP policy represented a step too far in maintaining a balanced juvenile justice system.
“If the LNP aim is to beat the law and order drum louder in the leadup to the State Election, yesterday’s announcement will probably help them. But with Queensland having the highest number of juveniles in juvenile jails of any other State in Australia, yesterday’s announcement will only increase the already overcrowded juvenile justice jails”
Mr O’Gorman joined other advocates who have criticised recent LNP juvenile justice announcements by indicating that Queensland is already on the wrong track in building two extra juvenile jails, namely one in Woodford and one in Cairns.
“The huge amount of money spent on building juvenile jails and in keeping juveniles in jail could be much better used on a ‘front end basis’ to pump resources into families who are in trouble and are having difficulty with children so as to prevent children from getting on and progressing up the juvenile justice ladder”
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