There’ll be no jail time for children under 16 who commit crimes and those that do will not be held criminally responsible until they reach the age of 14, Tasmania’s new Youth Justice Blueprint suggests.
Minister for Education, Children and Youth Roger Jaensch says the change would position Tasmania as the “nation’s leading jurisdiction on youth justice reform” and is adamant that it ‘will happen’.
“I think all Tasmanians would agree that every investment we can make to help young people live responsible
lives as constructive members of their community and not enter into criminal behaviour is a worthwhile investment,” Jaensch said.
“We know that, in our community, there are concerns about anti-social behaviour and criminality amongst our young people.”
“Clearly we need to do more and earlier to make sure that we’re addressing the causes of that behaviour and assisting those young people to move away from a career of criminality that might reach into their adult lives as well.”
Currently, Tasmania allows children as young as 10 to be held criminally responsible.
Jaensch said the Blueprint will be worked through “over the next 10 years” to 2034 and comes in response to the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
Another recommendation involves replacing the current Ashley Youth Detention Centre with five smaller facilities, including a small detention centre in Brighton.
The closure of the centre is expected to happen by July 2026.
