Children will get sentences ‘more punitive than necessary’ under new crime law, Queensland LNP admits

Attorney general Deb Frecklington acknowledges bill likely to increase number of children in state watch houses

Queensland’s Liberal National party government has acknowledged that its signature youth crime legislation will “directly discriminate” against children, by limiting their “protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.

The bill is also “expected to have a greater impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are already disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system”, according to the government’s tabled statement of compatibility with human rights.

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This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.