'Slogan dressed up as policy': New Queensland youth crime laws will make communities less safe, experts warn

The Crisafulli Government's decision to expand its Adult Crime, Adult Time laws with a new "Breach Bail, Go to Jail" offence ignores decades of evidence showing that locking up more children does not reduce crime. Instead, it will push more young people into an overcrowded youth detention system that is failing to rehabilitate children, reduce reoffending or improve community safety. 

Anne Hollonds AO, former National Children's Commissioner and Justice Reform Initiative spokesperson, said the announcement was the latest example of a government doubling down on an approach the evidence consistently shows does not work. 

"Locking up more children for breaching bail will not make Queensland safer. It will push more children into a system we already know increases the likelihood they will offend again,” Ms Hollonds said. "Children should be accountable for their actions, but accountability should reduce the chances of them reoffending. This policy does the opposite. It guarantees more children spend more time behind bars at exactly the point when intervention and support are most likely to change the course of their lives." 

By not providing explicit details about how the policy will be implemented, the Government again failed to grapple with the practical consequences of its own policy. 

"This is a slogan dressed up as policy,” she said. “Queensland's youth detention centres are already overcrowded and struggling to operate safely. Children are spending extended periods locked in their rooms because there aren't enough staff to supervise them, and workers have repeatedly warned the system is under enormous strain. Introducing another law designed to increase the number of children in custody without addressing those realities is a recipe for making a bad situation worse.” 

Ms Hollonds said the evidence from Australia and overseas was clear about what works to reduce offending and reoffending. 

"Communities deserve to be safe, and governments have a responsibility to invest in what actually reduces crime,” she said. “We know what works: intensive bail support, early intervention, diversion, family support, community-led programs and First Nations place based programs that stop children entering the justice system in the first place. Every dollar spent expanding a failing detention system is a dollar not invested in preventing the next victim." 

"If the Government is serious about reducing crime, it needs to stop announcing slogans and start investing in the solutions that prevent crime before it happens and keep communities safer."