October 29, 2024
Amnesty International Australia has urged newly elected Premier David Crisafulli to “actually look at the evidence” on how best to address the root causes of youth crime.
Amnesty criticised the “adult crime, adult time” approach promised by the LNP during its election campaign.
“We call on Premier David Crisafulli to explain why he thinks he knows better than every expert in this field who say that imprisoning children only increases offending and harms these kids, their families and communities,” Amnesty International Australia’s Indigenous Rights campaigner Kacey Teerman said.
Amnesty said all “expert, longitudinal evidence produced in Australia” demonstrated that punitive, prison responses to youth offending do not reduce rates of recidivism.
“Despite the popular rhetoric, imprisoning children and treating them as adults in the justice system has never been shown to make communities safer or reduce crime rates,” Ms Teerman said.
“Amnesty International Australia calls on the incoming LNP government to actually look at what works, discard what doesn’t, and to ensure any youth justice policies they enact do not breach human rights.
“Queensland has an obligation to protect children’s rights, which includes prioritising their rehabilitation and supporting their development through safe, community-based alternatives.”
Amnesty has urged the Queensland Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, end the practice of detaining children in adult watch houses and to fully fund Indigenous-led diversionary programs that have been proven to work.
