Attorneys- general eye raising age of criminal responsibility

TEENAGE delinquents would get a free pass to break the law under a radical plan being considered by the nation’s top politicians.

Federal Attorney- General Christian Porter and his state colleagues signed off on a 12month investigation with a view to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years to as high as 16.

It would mean children under that age could not be prosecuted because they are not considered to have a fully developed understanding between right and wrong so are considered incapable of committing a crime.

An official for Queensland Attorney- General Yvette D’Ath confirmed while the Palaszczuk Government did not put forward the proposal, it would “join the Commonwealth and states and territories on a bipartisan working group”.

“The Commonwealth and states and territories of all political persuasions will consider the findings when they are handed down,” she said. “The Palaszczuk Government would never implement legislation without seeking the views of Queenslanders.”

The official said former Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson had recommended that the issue of the appropriate age of criminal responsibility be considered at a national level.

It is understood the Attorneys- General also discussed the possibility of raising the age to 16 depending on the severity of the crime.

As of Friday, there were 88 children and teenagers detained at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and 131 people in the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre. A further 49 young people, at least, were remanded in across the state.

Human rights groups have argued that emerging research about adolescent brain development shows kids don’t have a fully developed ability to reason. They also claim that the earlier someone enters the justice system the more likely they were to become trapped in a life of crime. watchhouses