Criminal records of teen thugs to be exposed if they reoffend as adults under opposition plan
CRIMINAL records of teen thugs and carjackers will be publicly exposed if they reoffend as adults, under a radical push by the Victorian Opposition.
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CRIMINAL records of teen thugs and carjackers will be publicly exposed if they reoffend as adults, under a radical push by the Victorian Opposition.
The unprecedented move comes after police have warned of a “new generation’’ of dangerous offenders and Victoria continues to grapple with a youth justice crisis.
State Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has pledged to introduce the crackdown if elected in 2018, in the bid to fix the state’s rising crime rates.
“A government I lead will put the rights of innocent Victorians ahead of the rights of violent criminals,’’ he said.
Current policy dictates juveniles and the offences they commit cannot be revealed in Victoria.
But under the proposed legislation, teen offenders who commit serious offences, including murder, carjacking, rape and assault, would have their criminal history revealed if they went on to seriously reoffend after turning 18.
The law will not be used to unlock records relating to petty crimes such as shoplifting and property damage.
Victims of Crime Commissioner Greg Davies welcomed the move to expose juvenile criminal histories of violent offenders.
“What we have been doing for 30 years hasn’t worked; clearly it never will and needs to be changed,’’ he said.
“We need to see a complete history of criminal conduct. There will be a pattern of behaviour that has emerged and shows if it is going to continue.’’
If passed, the law means if juvenile records exist for criminals similar to Adrian Bayley and Sean Price, they will be known by the public. A Sentencing Advisory Council report on youth offending last year revealed a disturbing amount of teens went on to reoffend as adults, especially if previously sentenced to a detention centre.
Children who entered the justice system before they were 13 were likely to end up in an adult jail before age 22.
Shadow attorney-general John Pesutto said the changes would be made to the Children, Youth and Families Act.
A draft of the legislation was flagged by the Napthine government in 2014 before the election.
The change will not affect suppression orders.