The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council has released this brief, which examines the sentencing of children aged 10–13 between 2005–06 to 2021–22.

This paper outlines selected aspects of proposed changes to the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005​​​​​​​, in relation to raising the age of criminal responsibility in Victoria. It provides a jurisdictional comparison on what other Australian jurisdictions have done in this space, and outlines some...

This report presents information on young people under youth justice supervision during 2020–21 who had an interaction with the child protection system in the 5 years between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2021.

This report finds that young people are having to leave child protection and youth justice systems without adequate preparation for life and are disproportionately over-represented amongst Australia’s homeless population.

This evaluation represents an important addition to the evolving understanding of the issue of adolescent violence in the home (AVITH) and, in particular, the way in which Victoria’s current family violence response drives young people into contact with the justice system.

This document outlines an evidence-based, alternative vision for a more effective and connected youth justice system in Western Australia. The report articulates a whole-of-system approach that responds to the underlying causes of offending to reduce crime, ensures the wellbeing of children and young people, and...

Results of this study confirm the high rates of co-occurring adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the developmental histories of male youth who encounter the youth justice system in Australia, especially among those who have perpetrated sexual harm.

This report examines the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in a representative sample of young people under youth justice supervision in South Australia.

This report explores whether children and young people with an acquired brain injury might be over-represented in the criminal justice system in Victoria. It also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the current system in responding to the needs of young people with cognitive impairment.

This briefing paper outlines the evidence about effective prevention and early intervention measures designed to reduce over-representation of Indigenous young people in the criminal justice system.

This study presents a sequential analysis of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) over time, and introduces a data visualisation tool to examine the onset, duration and temporal ordering of those adversities experienced throughout one’s childhood and adolescence.

This advisory report considers the legal implications of raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Tasmania from its present statutory prescription of 10 years old (with a 14-year-old presumption of criminal incapacity).

The aim of this research was investigate the impact of the NSW Youth Koori Court (YKC) on youth justice outcomes, including the probability of being sentenced to a juvenile control order (JCO) and recidivism.

This report looks at young people who were under youth justice supervision in Australia during 2020–21 because of their involvement or alleged involvement in crime. It explores the key aspects of supervision, both in the community and in detention, as well as recent trends.

This e-brief provides an overview of the current law regarding the age of criminal responsibility in New South Wales.

This strategy was developed and led from the outset by the Aboriginal Justice Caucus. This process commenced with a planning workshop in 2018 where the Caucus outlined their aspirations for, and approach to, creating Victoria’s first Aboriginal youth justice strategy.

Focusing on the 2020/2021 time period, this report has been prepared to help those involved in youth justice understand system-wide trends and issues.

This report presents information on the youth detention population in Australia from June 2017 to June 2021.

Previous research exploring pathways into domestic and family violence (DFV) has primarily examined associations between early victimisation and future offending. Less is known about the relationship between adolescent DFV offending and adult DFV offending. This study examined the offending pathways of 8,465 young offenders aged...

This report measures the number of young people who were released from a supervised youth justice sentence and who were subsequently returned—that is, young people who received another supervised sentence after the end of their initial sentence. Supervised sentences include both community-based and detention sentences.

The ACT Legislative Assembly has committed to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility. This report identifies opportunities for reform to achieve improved outcomes for children and their families. It also proposes an alternative response to meet the needs of children affected by the changing...

The National Deaths in Custody Program has monitored the extent and nature of deaths occurring in prison, police custody and youth detention in Australia since 1980. In 2019-20 there were 113 deaths in custody. This report contains detailed information on these deaths and compares the...

This research examined the housing, homelessness, mental health, alcohol and drug and juvenile justice service usage pathways for out-of-home care (OHC) leavers in Victoria and Western Australia.

This research identifies strategies to improve current video-link processes and changes to protocols needed to minimise the risk of adverse outcomes for the children appearing via this technology.

In June 2019, the Director-General of the Department of Youth Justice asked the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) to help monitor initiatives linked to recent youth justice reforms and to examine options for future investments. This report is the outcome of that request.