This week,the government announced anexpanded suite of “targeted” measures focused on serious repeat offenders,including harsher bail limits and tougher sentencing.
That group,an average of about 400mainly Indigenous children,is responsible for almost half of all charges with a guilty outcome.
Responding to questions from the Opposition in parliament this week suggesting the government was failing young people involved in both the youth justice and child protection systems,the minister responsible for both,Leanne Linard,gave some data.
She said just 3.8 per cent of the 6829 young people aged between 10 and 17 under child protection orders were also on youth justice orders. The crossover was higher,at 27 per cent,for young people subject to supervised youth justice orders in the community.
A 2021 department census revealed a similar figure for those held in a youth detention centre – up each of the previous four years from just 14 per cent in 2018.
Departmental data provided toBrisbane Times shows the overlap for those deemed repeat young offenders is higher still at almost 33.9 per cent,or 136 young people as of September 30.