POLICE NEWS: Mandatory jail for children who breach bail set to be introduced
Police news
The State Government is set to bring in a mandatory jail sentence for 10-18-year-old children who commit certain crimes while on bail by the end of the year.
The length of the mandatory sentence has not been announced yet, and will be finalised when the legislation is introduced to state parliament before the end of the year, according to the Government.
Premier David Crisafulli said the new law would help make Queensland safer.
“We’re heading in the right direction and we’ve heard from Queenslanders who are telling us to keep going,” Premier Crisafulli said.
“If a court gives a youth criminal bail and they reoffend with a serious crime, that youth criminal will get a minimum mandatory sentence behind bars.”
The news comes after the Queensland Police Service recently announced that the state’s watch houses were overcrowded, with youth prisoners spending longer times there than recommended by youth-justice experts.
Under youth-crime laws introduced by the Crisafulli Government, children aged from 10–18 can receive adult-equivalent jail sentences in youth detention centres if they commit a range of “significant offences” including driving a stolen car, breaking into a car, burglary, going armed to cause fear, threatening violence, endangering a police officer when driving a car, endangering property by fire, drug trafficking, murder, rape and kidnapping.