Today, a coalition of over twenty ACT youth, family and legal service providers welcomed the release of the ACT Government-commissioned expert roadmap to Raise the Age.
The roadmap, developed by Emeritus Professor Morag McArthur, Dr Aino Suomi and Belinda Kendall, shows the clear and achievable next steps required to ensure that no child under 14 years old is arrested, criminalised or imprisoned in the ACT. It is a roadmap to a safer and more supportive community for everyone.
The roadmap is built on evidence collected from the ACT, interstate and internationally about what interventions work to keep children safe and in school, strengthen families and ensure every child has access to the health care, housing and services they need.
We welcome the ACT Government’s commitment to keep very young children out of the criminal justice system, and in our communities where they belong. We acknowledge the ACT Government’s recent Budget commitments of $7 million to support children and young people at risk of homelessness, and almost $800,000 to implement the reforms required to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
The ACT youth, family and legal sectors are committed to working with the ACT Government to see the minimum age of criminal responsibility raised, and all children and their families supported in our community.
Dr Justin Barker - Executive Director of the Youth Coalition of the ACT:
“It is fantastic to have such a clear roadmap for reform that sets out clear, achievable steps to raise the age. The evidence is clear: a multidisciplinary panel that brings together the different services and agencies in a child’s life - like school, health and housing - will allow us to provide that child with wraparound, integrated support instead of expecting a child and their family to navigate their way through a labyrinth of services. The ACT Government has already started this work and the Youth Coalition is committed to working with the ACT Government to see raising the age become a reality.”
Jodie Griffiths-Cook - ACT Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner:
“The raise the age roadmap is a plan to better support children and families right across our community. This roadmap will help us to realise better outcomes for any child or young person who may not be getting the support they need. Because raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility is not just about keeping young children out of prison, it’s also about ensuring that no child is left behind at school, or struggling at home, or homeless. This roadmap will benefit everyone in Canberra by helping to generate a safer community in which children and their families can thrive.”
Will Mollison, Executive Director of Families ACT said:
“Families ACT welcomes the review of the service system and implementation requirements for raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) in the ACT. We support the report’s recommendations setting out how the age of criminal responsibility can be raised to 14 by meeting not only the child’s needs, but also creating a more supportive and safe community for all. We know that attention to prevention and early intervention during the middle years of a child (8-15 years) is essential to keeping young children out of the justice system. Funding of well-evidenced, wraparound services and supports such as the Safe and Connected Youth Program provide the prerequisite foundation on which these important reforms can be built. Families ACT will continue working with Government and our sector partners to improve the way we support children and their families in the ACT.”
Elizabeth Carroll, President of the ACT Law Society:
“The ACT Law Society welcomes the completion of this review as an important step on the road to raising the age of criminal responsibility, and we look forward to seeing a timeline setting out when the remaining steps will be achieved. The Law Society partnered with other members of the Raise the Age Coalition because we see the value in a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to this reform and we are pleased to see the proposal for a multidisciplinary therapeutic panel to monitor and provide support to children and their families under the revised minimum age. We also see the inclusion of restorative processes as critical to ensure support for victims of crime. As we approach the implementation of this important change to keep children out of the prison system, the Law Society will continue to work with the ACT Government on the supporting legislation.”
Anna Whitty – CEO, Northside Community Service
“We congratulate the ACT Government on its roadmap to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR). Northside strongly supports the raising of the MACR to at least 14, with no exceptions or carve-outs. When a 10-year old is imprisoned - we have all failed. The current MACR disproportionately affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. It embeds and extends the continuing detrimental impacts of colonisation, and directly works against shared efforts to Close the Gap. Locking up a child does nothing to address the trauma they have experienced, and in fact only perpetuates it. Addressing the social systems that keep our community safe improves everyone’s lives. We commit to working with Government, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, and our sector partners in changing the way we support children and young people in the ACT.”
Dr Emma Campbell - CEO, ACT Council of Social Service
“We welcome the release of this report which details clear strategies to keep children under the age of 14 out of prisons. Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility and providing early supports to young people and their families will lead to safer outcomes for the individual, their family and the wider community. Implementing the suggestions in the review will also address the overrepresentation of of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in the justice system and have a significant impact for generations to come. We thank the ACT Government for recognising that children do not belong in prison, and for doing the important work to make sure they are able to stay in our communities.”
Keisha Hopgood, Acting Principal Solicitor (Criminal Law Practice) at the Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited said:
“As a solicitor, there are few experiences more harrowing than representing a child who is so tiny they can’t even see over the dock. It is appalling that kids as young as 10 are imprisoned in Australia. The Aboriginal Legal Service commends the ACT Government on leading the way to much needed, long overdue reform.
“Kids in detention overwhelmingly come from backgrounds of disadvantage – many have been removed from their families, and many have disabilities or cognitive impairments. These children are disproportionately Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. As a society, we owe these children care and understanding. No exceptions.
“We call on the NSW Government to follow the ACT’s lead and urgently act to raise the age.”