NT plan to lower age of criminal responsibility to 10 could contribute to ‘child jail crisis’, advocate says

Chair of Indigenous legal service says policy is ‘really concerning’ and part of move towards more punitive policies across Australia

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The Country Liberal party’s plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility back to 10 in the Northern Territory is “really concerning” and part of a “tragic shift” towards more punitive policies nationwide, the head of Indigenous legal services has said.

Karly Warner, chair of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, is warning that such policies will result in a “child jail crisis” and should be undone or at least accompanied by greater investment in proper prevention programs.

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