State Government spends $1.2 million a year on remand reduction team

The State Government has been spending millions on a crack team of lawyers who trawl courtrooms to help juvenile offenders get out on bail.

The State Government has spent millions on a crack squad of lawyers who trawl courtrooms to help juvenile offenders get out on bail.

The Remand Reduction, Review and Training Team, an arm of Legal Aid Queensland, considered nearly 968 referrals and completed 69 bail applications during the 2019/20 financial year.

But frustrated police say juvenile offenders are rarely refused bail because they are hardly ever sentenced to terms of imprisonment, with one calling recently strengthened laws “window dressing”.

Crime figures show that around 85 per cent of children are successfully deterred from crime at the first instance. But just 10 per cent of juvenile offenders are responsible for 40 per cent of all juvenile crime.

A teen who allegedly hit and killed a couple at Alexandra Hills was out on bail.

Juvenile justice processes have been questioned this week following the deaths of Alexandra Hills couple Kate Leadbetter, 31, and Matthew Field, 37, on Tuesday evening.

The couple, who were expecting a baby boy, were crossing a road when they were struck by a stolen 4WD driven by a 17-year-old.

The teen has since been charged with two counts of murder.

The State Government has been funding the team of lawyers for more than two years at a cost of $1.2 million per year.

The lawyers assist legal aid solicitors to get young offenders out on bail based on the “merit” of their situation.

Children and Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Everyone has a right to legal representation,” a spokesperson for Children and Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard said.

“This is consistent in jurisdictions across Australia and around the world.

“The Remand Reduction, Review and Training Team assesses whether there is merit for a bail application to be made to the Children’s Court of Queensland.

“Merit is assessed by looking at the risk the child presents to the community.

“If the child is considered to be an unacceptable risk, and that risk cannot be reduced through bail programs and supports, a bail application will not be made.”

LNP MP and former police officer Dan Purdie said the State Government should be spending taxpayer money on preventing crime, not “keeping dangerous young reoffenders out on the streets”.

“Everyone deserves fair legal representation in court and there are already Legal Aid lawyers and local contracted lawyers in each Magistrates court to provide this service,” he said.

“This extra funding should be spent on crime prevention programs to stop kids entering a life of crime, or rehabilitation to stop reoffending – not just to oppose police in bail applications. “The money would be better spent fighting crime, not fighting police.”