The president of the Children's Court of Queensland has grave concerns about new laws affecting how young offenders are dealt with, saying they do nothing to encourage rehabilitation.
Judge Michael Shanahan said Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie did not adequately consider concerns he raised about the Youth Justice and Other Legislation Act 2014, which came into effect in March.
The new provisions include "naming and shaming" repeat offenders and abolished the sentencing principle that detention is a last resort.
It also got rid of sentence reviews, allows judges to consider juvenile records when sentencing an adult, and sends children on lengthy sentences to an adult prison as soon as they turn 17.
In his annual report released on Monday, Judge Shanahan said he had "grave concerns" about many aspects of the legislation, and urged the government to repeal the changes.
He said the "naming and shaming" provision was "particularly ill advised".
He said similar regimes in the Northern Territory and the United Kingdom had been abandoned because they hindered rehabilitation.
"I am aware of no empirical evidence that shows it has an impact on recidivism," Judge Shanahan said.
He added that a system weighted towards detention also ignored statistics about rehabilitation.
"Child offenders are not little adults," Judge Shanahan said.
"Rehabilitation is a fundamental aspect of a juvenile justice system as it is clear that the earlier rehabilitative steps are taken, the better are the prospects of turning a person from a criminal path and particularly from developing into an adult criminal."
Judge Shanahan said while figures showed there has been an increase in the last 10 years in the number of offences being committed, he said the number of juvenile offenders was decreasing.
He noted there had been a leap in the past year in the number of detention orders imposed, and that the number of police warnings issued for minor offences continues to fall.
The report shows the proportion of indigenous juvenile offenders on community based orders and in detention continues to rise, with indigenous children making up around 66 per cent of the detention population.
Share
