The Greens have introduced a Bill to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years old in Queensland, and proposed an alternative model to prevent and address problematic behaviour by 10-13 year olds. Submissions on the Bill have now closed, but you can still use this form to email the Attorney-General and your State MP, asking them to support raising the age.
You can use this template to start your email, but remember: personalised messages that include your perspective and experience are particularly powerful. For example:
- Have you worked with young people in contact with the youth justice system, or at risk of criminalisation?
- Have you had personal or family experience with the youth justice system?
- Do you have medical, cultural, legal or other expertise on this matter?
- What alternatives do you think would be better than criminalisation for children under 14?
What does the Greens Bill do?
You can read the Bill here, and the Explanatory Notes here, and you can watch Michael's speech introducing the Bill here, or read it here.
In summary, the Bill:
- Raises the minimum age at which a person is criminally responsible for any act or omission from 10 to 14 years old, meaning 10-13 year olds cannot be sent to prison; and
- For a child who committed an offence before they were 14, provides for:
- Their release from detention or a police watch house;
- Ending and preventing any proceedings or orders against them for the offence;
- Expunging their criminal history; and
- Destroying their identifying particulars like fingerprints and DNA samples.
For more info on why we need to raise the age, details of the alternative model we've proposed for kids under 14, and to sign up for updates on the Bill, click here.