The Australian state of Queensland is proposing a law that is drawing harsh criticism from human rights specialists: children as young as 10 could be sentenced to life in prison for certain serious crimes, just like adults.
“We are talking about children in the fourth grade. We’re talking about children who still have baby teeth,” points out Scott McDougall, the Queensland Human Rights Commissioner, who believes that this measure shows “a society that has lost its way,” The Guardian reports.
The new legislation, the first proposed by the government led by David Crisafulli, states that minors can receive life imprisonment for five types of crimes, including manslaughter and robbery. If convicted of murder, the minimum sentence would be 20 years without the possibility of parole.
“Detention and prisons do not reduce crime”
Experts warn that this approach could have the opposite of the desired effects.
William Wood, a criminologist at Griffith University, points out that incarcerating young people does not reduce the crime rate, quite the opposite: “Detention and prisons do not reduce crime, they produce crime. Prison makes children tougher.”
The law also removes other important protections for minors: courts can no longer be closed when hearing cases involving children, and the principle that detention should be a last resort disappears. Furthermore, a minor’s criminal record can be used when he is tried as an adult.
The legislative proposal will be debated in December, after an eight-day investigation by a parliamentary committee.
Source: www.descopera.ro
