Articles
Author: Jaimee-Lee Jessop
Understanding adult cautions by police in Queensland
In Queensland, adult cautions by police serve as a mechanism for handling low-level offences with a focus on rehabilitation. It provides a fair and efficient way of managing minor criminal offences as an alternative to formal court proceedings.
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Queensland bail laws for children
In 2024, Queensland introduced significant changes to its bail laws, aiming to tackle youth crime and enhance community safety. These reforms primarily focus on repeat offenders and represent a more stringent stance on granting bail, especially for young offenders deemed a risk to public safety.
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Significant changes to youth justice laws in Queensland
On 13 December 2024, the Queensland Parliament passed the Making Queensland Safer Act 2024, introducing significant amendments to youth justice laws. These changes mark a major shift in the way the justice system approaches young offenders, with some amendments already in effect and others set to come into force in 2025.
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Understanding criminal responsibility of children in Queensland
In Queensland, the principles governing criminal responsibility for children are carefully structured to address their developmental stages. Under the Criminal Code, the legal system recognises that children are not always capable of understanding the consequences of their actions in the same way adults are.
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A guide to child protection orders in Queensland
To issue a child protection order, a Magistrate needs to be satisfied, based on information provided by the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs and the Director of Child Protection Litigation, that a child has been harmed, is suffering harm or is at unacceptable risk of suffering harm, and there is no parent able and willing to protect them.
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Possessing child exploitation material – charges and penalties
In Australia, there are a wide variety of criminal offences relating to unlawfully dealing with child pornography, also known as child exploitation material. These include the offences of unlawful possession, access, distribution and making of CEM; the most common offence being that of possession.
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Police interviews involving children
When police wish to interview a child in relation to a suspected offence, special rules apply. Parents and those with the care of a child who the police want to question should seek urgent legal advice from the outset, before any interview takes place.
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Sentencing children in Queensland
In Queensland, the criminal justice system treats children differently to adults. The purpose of dealing with children differently is to acknowledge that children have different maturity levels to an adult, and may not have the same life experience, mental capacity and legal understanding to make adult-like decisions.
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Diversionary options for young offenders in Queensland
When it is appropriate to do so, a child who has criminally offended should be diverted away from the criminal justice system, unless the nature of the offence and the child’s criminal history indicate that a proceeding for the offence should be started.
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What is the Court Link program in Queensland?
Court Link is a Queensland bail-based program focused on rehabilitative and therapeutic methods catered to vulnerable defendants. The goal is to support participants in addressing and overcoming underlying issues, needs and vulnerabilities that may have a link to their criminal offending.
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Your rights during a police interview in Queensland
A police interview is often the start of a criminal matter and can make or break a case. If you do participate in a police interview, regardless of whether it occurs in a formal or informal setting, it is important to know that it can later be used as evidence against you in Court.
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