The NT's new Country Liberal Party government has passed legislation to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10. It comes just a day after the government pushed through tougher bail laws and extra powers for police.
In short:
The Northern Territory has passed new laws that lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10, about two years after the previous government raised the age to 12.
It comes a day after the Country Liberal Party government pushed through tougher bail legislation and extra powers for police as part of a suite of law and order changes.
What's next?
New laws on public drinking and assaults on workers are expected to pass when parliament resumes next week.
Maintaining law and order is important but this and Queensland's handling of indigenous youth is thinly veiled institutionalised racism.
Yes, there is a problem. No this isn't the most effective way to deal with it. You end up creating a hardened criminal class and a much worse long term problem. The real solution as always is to deal with the social and economic problems that are the cause of youth offending.
Populist policy is only a means to power and stands for nothing and achieves less.
You're missing the point, they can make money out of locking up kids. Turn a problem into a resource, then mine it. Probably get tafe money and work programs happening next.
I was talking with a police officer who was in a pursuit where the kids chased the police cars and kept trying to ram tyne police. When they finally stopped tyne pursuit the driver was 11 years old so that took the kid home to his parents. Then an hour later arrested the same kid again for trying to steal another car.
Funny how the police can lock someone in jail, but they can't do anything to help a broken family. Drag thinks we could use some non-police solutions to the problem, because drag doesn't think putting 11 year olds in prison is a humane way of fixing anything.