South-East Monash Legal Service has joined more than 100 organisations across Victoria in signing an open letter to the Premier opposing proposed youth justice changes. These reforms would allow children as young as 14 to be sentenced in adult courts and face life imprisonment – a move that would cause lifelong harm and make our communities less safe.
The evidence shows that adult sentencing and harsher penalties do not stop young people from offending. Instead, they create further trauma, increase the risk of reoffending and compound the harm and disadvantage done to children who have often been failed by multiple systems. These young people need care, not punishment.
Treating children as adults ignores well‑established developmental differences, breaches human rights obligations and disproportionately harms Aboriginal children, those in out‑of‑home care and culturally diverse young people. Real community safety is achieved through addressing the underlying causes of youth offending, such as poverty, trauma, racism and lack of support, through community‑led, culturally safe and trauma‑informed programs. Yet these programs remain underfunded while prison budgets grow.
Our government should reject punitive reforms, invest in early intervention and prevention, and return to evidence‑based, compassionate youth justice approaches developed in consultation with affected communities.
Victoria should be known for fairness and compassion. Not for sentencing children to life in prison.
