This week, the Victorian government backflipped on a promise to make bail laws fairer for children, weakened its commitment to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14, and announced it will trial electronic monitoring of children on bail.
It was a bad week for those of us working to help children have the opportunity to build good lives and make communities stronger and safer. But it also raised the question: who exactly is running justice policy in Victoria — our Parliament or our police force?
The reality of crime statistics
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are overpoliced and overincarcerated in Victoria, and these new Allan government measures will only entrench that disadvantage.
Over the past 20 years, the crime rate in Victoria has been on a downward trend, and during COVID lockdowns there was a marked decline.
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