Australia’s Northern Territory will start imprisoning 10-year-olds again in a bid to reduce youth crime rates

The Australian Northern Territory (NT) will soon allow 10-year-olds to be imprisoned again, after the previous government decided to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12. According to the BBC, the new Country Liberal Party (CLP) government elected in August said reversing the decision was necessary to reduce youth crime rates. It argued that bringing the age back to 10 would ultimately protect children, even though doctors, human rights organisations and Indigenous groups disputed the argument.

The Australian Northern Territory already imprisons children at a rate 11 times higher than any other jurisdiction in the country, according to the BBC. Critics have said the new law will not reduce crime, but rather it will disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

However, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government has been given a mandate following its landslide election win, and the change will allow courts to put young offenders through programs designed to address the root causes of their crimes – which, according to statistics, are most commonly break-and-enter and assault offences.

“We have this obligation to the child who has been let down in many ways for a long time,” Ms Finocchiaro told parliament on Thursday. “And we also have an obligation to people who just want to be safe, people who no longer want to live in fear,” she said.

In addition, the NT has also tightened bail rules and introduced penalties for “posting and boasting” about crime on social media. “We make no apologies for delivering on our commitments to reduce crime for all Territorians,” Ms Finocchiaro said. However, Opposition Leader Selena Uibo called it a “dark day” for the Territory. “We know – because all the evidence tells us this – that the sooner a child comes into contact with the criminal justice system, the more likely they are to have long-term involvement,” she said. “We want children to be held accountable for bad behaviour, but then supported to get on a better path,” Ms Uibo said. Notably, the change will come into effect at a later date, which has yet to be confirmed. Only the Australian Capital Territory has raised the age of criminal responsibility to above 10. Victoria has passed legislation to do so, which will come into force next year. The Tasmanian Government has also said it will raise the age to 14 by 2029.