Submission: Inquiry into Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System

Amnesty International Australia has made a submission to the Senate inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system.

Amnesty International Australia has made a submission to the Senate inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system.

Children in Australia's youth justice system are being subjected to practices that cause harm and fail to uphold their rights. First Nations children are particularly impacted, facing systemic inequalities and significant over-representation in youth detention.

Our submission calls for a child-centred, rights-based approach to youth justice that prioritises rehabilitation, diversion and community-led solutions over incarceration.

We are calling for governments to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, establish enforceable national minimum standards for youth justice, end harmful practices including the use of spit hoods and adult watch houses, and invest in Indigenous-led diversion programs.

Children should be treated with dignity and respect, and detention should always be a measure of last resort.

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