5 April 2024

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is calling on the Queensland Government to stop criminalising children under 14 and start using a health lens to tackle youth justice issues.

In a submission to the Queensland Parliament’s Youth Justice Reform Select Committee, the RACP details key actions needed to ensure the health and wellbeing of children in the youth justice system. 

Dr Jacqueline Small, Paediatrician and RACP President says in order to fix the youth justice system, we have to have a health lens.

“We need to improve access to support services for people under 18 who have complex health and social needs, so there can be meaningful intervention and to reduce the chances of them winding up in the justice system.

“Children who interact with the criminal justice system face greater disadvantage than their peers who do not – and these gaps in health, development and well-being widen as they grow older, resulting in poorer health and wellbeing outcomes as adults.

“We have been calling on state and territory governments to step up and protect our young people and their futures. The time to act is now, as reform to our criminal justice system is long overdue,” says Dr Small.

President of the RACP Paediatrics and Child Health Division, Professor Nitin Kapur, says Queensland must fix its approach to youth justice by raising the age of criminal responsibility as an urgent first step.  

“The Queensland Government must take steps to improve the wellbeing of First Nations communities and begin to break the cycle for young people.

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over-represented in the criminal justice system and youth justice reform is a cornerstone to improving health outcomes for some of Queensland’s most disadvantaged children.

“The RACP urges the Queensland Government to prioritise Indigenous leadership at all levels as a key to ensure the lasting success of any reform it undertakes,” says Dr Kapur.

In its submission to the Queensland Parliament Youth Justice Reform Select Committee, the RACP recommends:

• Raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, with no exceptions
• No children of any age be incarcerated in adult facilities
• Health assessments for all children and young people entering custodial settings, and development assessments by paediatricians, whenever needed.
• Prioritising Indigenous leadership.

The RACP has also published a position statement on the health care of children in care and protection services outlining recommendations to both health services and state and territory governments around Australia.