Qld Greens table Bill to raise criminal age from 10 to 14

The Queensland Greens say the state’s criminal code breaches children’s rights, and have tabled a Bill to raise the age of criminal responsibility. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Prosecuting children as young as 10 violates human rights, according to Greens MP proposing to raise the age of criminal responsibility.

State Member for Maiwar Michael Berkman tabled a Bill to State Parliament today to amend the criminal code, which he suggested breached human rights, and raise the age of criminal responsibility in Queensland from 10 to 14.

Mr Berkman said the current laws were inconsistent with international jurisdictions, breached human rights obligations and failed to protect the community.

“Kids aged 10 to 13, their brains haven’t developed, they don’t understand consequences in the same way adults do, so criminalising them like it does doesn’t work” Mr Berkman told Parliament.

He said a state claiming to be committed to human rights could no longer continue locking up “babies” as young as 10 who are “still losing their baby teeth”.

“This is long-overdue reform; no matter what the Government has said up until this point we know the position they’ve taken is out of step,” Mr Berkman said.

The alternative model in the Greens Bill includes prevention, early intervention, therapy and intensive case management for “seriously problematic” behaviour.

Mr Berkman said the current laws that locked up children drastically increased the likelihood of reoffending by exposing juveniles to the justice system.

Assistant Police Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon, who heads the Youth Justice Taskforce, has previously said while most children who commit crimes don’t reappear in court after their first offence, a hardcore group of about 10 per cent continually reoffend.

Ms Scanlon also said social media was fuelling the youth crime issue like never before.

Mr Berkman said children involved in crime were invariably responding to unfulfilled needs or previous trauma.

“Where kids are committing crimes of poverty like theft, we need to make sure they have a roof over their head,” he said.

“Our children are our future… our babies need to be with their families and their communities, not prison guards.”