Bailed juveniles going straight back to crime
If ever you wanted proof of the folly of weakening bail laws for juvenile offenders, this is it.
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton has confirmed that police face a massive problem with juvenile offenders being arrested and charged, and then getting bail and going straight back to offending.
Yet the Andrews government actually legislated earlier this year to weaken bail laws for juveniles – despite police opposing the move.
Under these changes, juvenile offenders who breach a condition of their bail will no longer incur any penalty for doing so.
This means an alleged juvenile offender who is arrested and charged with a crime such as car theft, vandalism, shop-stealing or drug selling, and then released on a bail condition requiring them to stay at home at night or keep away from a shopping centre, will not be liable for any penalty if they breach that condition and do exactly what they were told not to do.
This will just add to the huge problem the community already faces from juvenile offenders treating the law and the justice system with contempt.
For the Herald Sun’s report, see Kids on bail linked to crime wave: top cop.