![]() It is now in the parliamentary and governing agreement formed between the Greens and Labor. The ACT government’s commitment to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility began with a motion I moved in the assembly to raise the age to 14, followed by an ACT Greens election commitment in 2020. ![]() In fact, the strongest predictor of future criminality is the “normalisation” of criminality via an early prison sentence. Locking children up is ineffective as a crime prevention measure. Instead, it sets their trajectory towards future offending. Ignoring this history and addressing the child’s behaviour, out of context, through the criminal justice system does not function as a deterrent. ![]() A child who commits a criminal act has, overwhelmingly, arrived at that point through trauma, mental health issues, abuse, neglect or disability. Children don’t commit crimes because they are evil people. ![]() When children commit crimes, it is an anomaly. We have a critical and historic opportunity to change the way we treat vulnerable and marginalised children. ![]()
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