Shocking number of young crims who reoffended while on bail

Almost 100 young Queenslanders committed offences while they were on bail in the past financial year, new figures have revealed.

Almost 100 young Queenslanders committed more than 30 offences while on bail in the past financial year, new figures have revealed.

The revelation comes after the government introduced new laws this year aimed at cracking down on repeat youth offenders.

Figures uncovered during Budget Estimates have revealed there were 92 young people in Queensland during the 2020-21 financial year who committed more than 30 offences while on bail.

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard has defended the figures, saying they were down 42 per cent compared to 2019-20.

“On 30 April 2021, amendments to the Youth Justice Act 1992 came into effect to strengthen accountability for serious repeat youth offenders,” Ms Linard said.

“While the reforms are still in the early stages of implementation, there are some early positive trends.”

The Minister said there had been a 12 per cent reduction in 10 to 17-year-old offenders with a “proven offence” in the 12 months to March this year as well as a 27 per cent drop when compared to the 12 months to March 2019.

The government introduced youth justice reforms earlier this year amid community pressure, with the legislation giving courts the power to deploy GPS devices on 16 and 17-year-olds as a condition of bail.

The laws also created a presumption against bail for young offenders charged with certain offences.

The GPS devices will only be trialled for 12 months in certain regions of the state before being subject to a review.