- LNP’s Making Queensland Safer Laws will hold youth criminals accountable for full criminal history during sentencing.
- Youth offenders will be judged on every police caution, restorative justice agreement and breach of supervised release order.
- Under the LNP’s laws, youth offenders’ criminal history will also carry over into adulthood.
- Judges and Magistrates will no longer be forced to turn a blind eye to a serious repeat offender’s rap sheet when sentencing youth in court.
- The move to restore consequences for actions is a key measure in the LNP’s crime plan to restore safety where you live.
The LNP has today outlined another major plank of its Making Our Community Safer Plan, with the announcement it will introduce laws to allow the Courts to consider youth offenders full criminal history when sentencing.
The plan will unshackle Judges and Magistrates to allow them to consider youth offenders’ full criminal rap sheet, including police cautions, restorative justice agreements and breaches of supervised release orders.
Under the LNP’s laws, childhood criminal behaviour will also be admissible during sentencing as an adult.
The changes will be introduced in the Making Queensland Safer Laws and rolled-out before Christmas if the LNP is elected next month.
The changes reverse Labor’s amendments to the Youth Justice Act in 2016 which stopped courts looking at criminal history, and are part of the LNP’s commitment to restoring safety where you live.
LNP Leader David Crisafulli said the LNP would put victims at the heart of youth justice with clear consequences for actions to deter crime and protect Queenslanders.
“The LNP will restore consequences for actions and deliver justice to victims of crime by ensuring the Courts look at the full criminal rap sheet of youth offenders when sentencing,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“There’s something fundamentally wrong with our justice system when our Courts are forced to turn a blind eye to youth criminals’ past behaviour when sentencing them for crimes.
“The slate shouldn’t be wiped clean when an offender turns 18, under the LNP their criminal history will carry-through to adulthood.
“This will add to the LNP’s plan to make Adult Crime, Adult Time law, deliver gold standard early intervention and effective rehabilitation.
“Labor weakened the laws and shackled our courts, only the LNP will roll-out the Making Queensland Safer Laws to restore safety where you live.”
Shadow Attorney-General Tim Nicholls said Queenslanders had been paying a high price for Labor weakening youth crime laws which had created a generation of serious repeat offenders.
“Labor watered down youth justice laws in 2016 and since then Queenslanders have been paying a high price,” Mr Nicholls said.
“This created a generation of serious repeat offenders, some of whom have committed dozens of offences without spending a day in detention.
“Queenslanders will be shocked to learn youth offenders are cycling between crimes, only to be let off without real consequences for actions time and again.
“Only by preventing, intervening, diverting, rehabilitating and protecting can we end Labor’s Youth Crime Crisis and restore safety where you live.
“Only the LNP has the Right Plan for Queensland’s Future, including the Making Our Community Safer Plan.”
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