Wednesday 12 November 2025 – for immediate release
Proposed laws to introduce adult sentences for serious violent offending by children 14 years of age and over on its own will fail to stem the significant impact of crime on the Victorian community, according to the Commission for Children and Young People.
The changes could see children as young as 14 sentenced to life, with adult sentences proposed to apply to a range of offences tried in the County Court.
‘We need to acknowledge the impact of offending, but we also need a balanced approach – we can’t just lock children and young people away and hope for a safer community,’ said Argiri Alisandratos, Acting Principal Commissioner for Children and Young People, today.
‘If we are serious about addressing the deep and lasting impact of crime on victims and communities, we must pursue solutions that work, that are based on evidence, and that enhance our chances of achieving community safety.
‘We know from an overwhelming body of evidence that diversion, early intervention, prevention and rehabilitation that addresses the root causes of behaviour offer the best chance of reducing future offending. We also know that simply incarcerating children without the required supports will only entrench children and young people in the justice system and make re-offending more likely,’ said the Acting Principal Commissioner.
The changes will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable children and young people, including many who are known to child protection, and Aboriginal children and young people, who are starkly overrepresented in the youth justice system.
‘An increasingly pressured and violent youth justice environment will only further promote the criminalisation of children and young people. Without appropriate prevention, early intervention and rehabilitative support in custody, children will be primed to re-offend more seriously when they are released,’ said Meena Singh, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, today.
‘The obligation of the Victorian Government is to follow the evidence in framing justice policies that recognise the critical differences between adults and children, and to properly invest in critically needed prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation. That is our best chance of solutions that make our communities safer,’ Commissioner Singh concluded.
Media contact:
Darren Lewin-Hill
0437 046 360