Youth Justice Reforms Plan to Crack Down on Youth Crime in Toowoomba

To face harsher punishment


Article heading image for Youth Justice Reforms Plan to Crack Down on Youth Crime in Toowoomba

Toowoomba’s youth criminals will face harsher punishment under a new plan to reform the youth justice system.

Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki MP and Member for Toowoomba North Trevor Watts MP said the current system allowed youths to run riot on the streets without fear of repercussions.

“The reforms would see young offenders who are convicted of breaking into cars, stealing cars or hooning to undertake mandatory community service on their first offence to pay back the community,” Mr Janetzki said.

Mr Watts said they would also re-introduce breaching bail as an offence for youths.

“Our hardworking police are sick to death of arresting youths in the morning only to re-arrest them in the afternoon after they have been given a free pass,” Mr Watts said.

The planned reform would re-instate a ‘name and shame three strikes policy’ which gives the Court the ability to name and shame repeat young offenders upon their third offence.

Mr Janetzki said the reform would also provide courts with the ability to restrict a young person’s eligibility for a driver’s licence if they had been convicted of stealing cars or hooning.

“In our southern police region, almost 22% of all offenders committing property crimes such as stealing cars, breaking into homes and businesses, arson etc are children aged between 10 and 16,” Mr Janetzki said.

“That is shocking and we need to implement tougher penalties as a deterrent,” he said.

Mr Watts said Toowoomba residents were concerned about youth crime, particularly the generational criminals fronting local courts.

“The LNP will make no apologies for being tough on youth crime,” he said.

Youth Justice Reform Plan

  1. Re-introducing ‘breach of bail’ as an offence for young offenders
  2. Introducing a new community payback scheme for young offenders who are convicted of unlawful entry or car theft/hooning offences so that they are required to undertake mandatory community service orders to show remorse for their crime, upon their first offence, as a minimum
  3. Removing the principle of detention as a last resort for repeat young offenders, upon their second offence
  4. Re-instating a ‘name and shame three strikes policy’ which gives the Court the ability to ‘name and shame’ a repeat young offender, upon their third offence, and
  5. Providing the Court with the ability to restrict a young person’s eligibility for a drivers licence if they have been convicted of certain car theft or hooning offences.

19 August 2017




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