Email Premier Jacinta Allan | Worth A Second Chance

Email Premier Jacinta Allan

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We're calling on Victoria as Australia's most progressive state to lead the way in responding effectively to young people in trouble.

Send a message to Premier Jacinta Allan asking her government to immediately raise the of criminal responsibility to 14, with no exceptions, in line with expert medical evidence and international human rights standards.

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Dear Premier Allan and Attorney-General Symes,

I write to you as a concerned Victorian and a supporter of the Worth a Second Chance campaign for more fair, humane and effective youth justice systems.

I'm thrilled to hear the Government's recent announcement that Victoria will move to raise the age of criminal responsibility. This is an evidence-based and compassionate reform that would make a real difference in the lives of young people on the margins.

As Australia's most progressive state, Victoria has a unique opportunity now to show strong leadership and raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, with no exceptions. This is in line with expert medical evidence and international human rights standards.

Experts agree younger children have not developed the social, emotional and intellectual maturity necessary for legal responsibility. Simply locking up vulnerable young children, rather than addressing their behaviour, starts a cycle of incarceration that is hard to break. The earlier a child becomes caught in the justice system, the harder it is to get out.

Children who come into contact with the youth legal system are likely to have faced a tough start to life. The most effective and compassionate way to respond to these vulnerable young people isn't the isolation and harm of the prison system – it is addressing the underlying issues driving their behaviour, including family dysfunction, trauma, abuse and neglect.

In providing leadership we expect the Victorian Government to raise the age of legal responsibility to 14 years, and put in place restorative responses that work with families, schools and communities to support – rather than punish – vulnerable children.

Jesuit Social Services’ discussion paper on this topic outlines a range of practical ways in which children can be held to account for their actions in the community and supported to reset their lives through a range of welfare-based responses to offending behaviour: https://jss.org.au/articles/raising-the-age-of-criminal-responsibility-there-is-a-better-way/

All children are worth a second chance – which is why I call on the Victorian Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility, to give young people the opportunity to flourish.

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