Queensland’s “Adult Crime, Adult Time” policy has been expanded again, significantly increasing the number of offences for which young offenders can receive adult-level penalties.
Recent amendments have expanded the scheme to include 45 offences, representing a substantial increase in the number of crimes covered by the policy.
How it Works
Historically, youth offenders in Queensland were subject to a separate sentencing framework that prioritised rehabilitation. Courts were generally required to treat detention as a last resort.
The scheme modifies this approach by allowing courts to impose adult sentencing standards for specific serious offences committed by children aged 10 to 17.
Offences Covered by the Expansion
The list of offences included in the scheme has grown steadily since the policy was first introduced.
The latest expansion added 12 new offences, bringing the total number of offences covered by the scheme to 45:
- Assault occasioning bodily harm;
- Conspiring to murder;
- Unlawful stalking, intimidation, harassment or abuse;
- Riot;
- Abuse of persons with an impairment of the mind;
- Indecent treatment of a child under the age of 16;
- Choking, suffocation, or strangulation in a domestic setting;
- Disabling in order to commit indictable offence;
- Stupefying in order to commit indictable offence;
- Endangering the safety of a person in a vehicle with intent;
- Aiding suicide; and
- Administering poison with intent to harm.
Further Additions
Given the political focus on youth crime in Queensland, further reforms to youth justice laws remain possible.
As new cases begin to emerge under the expanded scheme, courts will play a key role in shaping how these laws are applied in practice.
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