Raising the age of criminal responsibility in the Territory will help tackle crime, lawyers say

YOUTH crime in the Territory will only get worse unless the Gunner Government raises the age of criminal responsibility to 12, lawyers say

Lawyers want the age of criminal responsibility to be raised

YOUTH crime in the Territory will get worse unless the Gunner Government raises the age of criminal responsibility to 12, lawyers say.

The Law Council of Australia and the Law Society of the NT are calling on the NT Government lift the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12.

Law Council of Australia president Arthur Moses said raising the legal age to at least 12 would help reduce crime.

“What does it achieve to put someone in prison?” he said.

“All we have in the community when that happens is children being released and committing further crimes.

“It does not make the community safer, it makes the community less safe.”

Mr Moses said 10 was too young to enter the juvenile justice system. “We know from scientific study that children at the age of 10 and indeed up to 12 do not have the ability to know and make judgment on calls on what they are doing, whether it is right or wrong,” he said.

“Secondly, what is then occurring is we are putting children through the juvenile justice system, which means there are less chances to rehabilitate them and get them involved them in the community in a meaningful way.” President of the Law Society NT Maria Savvas said despite committing to introduce legislative reform last year, the NT Government was lagging in its response.

“The government called for the Royal Commission and should act on its recommendations — the Law Society is dismayed by the lack of progress,” Ms Savvas said.

“Almost a year has passed since the government committed to legislative reform but there has been no explanation as to the delay, nor apparent impediment to amending it.”

Territory Families Minister Dale Wakefield said, in principle, it supported raising the age of criminal responsibility be raised from 10 to 12 years.

“The relevant amendments will be introduced into parliament, once there is a clear program and service pathway to support at-risk young people under the age of 12 years,” she said.

Ms Wakefield said young people young people who did the “wrong thing” must face the consequences of their actions.

“They also need the best pathways to become productive members of our community, and not lifelong criminals,” she said.

“In order for any legislative change to be successful, and to ensure community safety, services must be in place for at-risk children below the age of criminal responsibility, to put them back on track.”